너를 위해 미소 짓는다
by PeonyFlowerLady
Summary: "Athena" Myung-hee Park is not exactly the best student in her school. She has no friends to help her out, except her teacher. Worst of all, she has no home to live in. She is a highly intelligent girl who rain away from her home when she was 7. She's been hiding ever since, laying low as possible. All of this changes when she does an interview with a certain actor...
1. Chapter 1

_**Main Character in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* * *

 **"About Me" (from the character's P.O.V)**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

Hi. How are you doing? Why am I talking to you? Well, why are you listening? Alright then. My name is _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park **{Hangul:** **박** **"** **아테나** **"** **명희** **}** **.** I'm sixteen and I go to Stamford High School. I currently live in the bathroom of a restaurant called Remo's. My parents were always fighting and arguing in front of me when I was little, so I left. I was extremely intelligent. Ask anyone. Just don't let it slip that I'm around. They can't know that.

Well, what's to know? I'm not good at school, I'm not good at making friends, and I am nowhere near used to becoming close to people. I don't trust anyone. Not even you. _Joesong haeyo_ **{** **I'm sorry** **}**. Don't take it personally. I know, I know. _"Then why are you telling me about your life?" Well_ , you see, I don't have a choice. The problemless life typing this story is doing it. This is against my will. (Can I call 911 about this?)

Anyway, I'm South Korean, I'm a bit sarcastic, honestly shy at times and I used to be miserable as hell. I have had dark times in my life, but who hasn't? Am I right? Yeah! _Go Paiting_ **{Go fighting!}** _Ani-yo?_ **{No?}** _Gwaenchanh-a_ **{Okay},** then. Moving on. Problemless life here is gonna have me tell you how the hottest celebrity in fricken' Hollywood AND London (in my opinion) rescued me from my darkness and helped me put my life back together. Do enjoy. If you don't care… well then, _gomabseubnida_ **{thank you}** for at least coming this far as I gave myself a respectful bow to you…


	2. Chapter 2

_**Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Claire Coffee** as Ms. Hadsell

* * *

 **Chapter I: You'll Be Taking Care of the Interviews**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I walk into school this Monday morning, my shoulder bag slung on the right side of mine, the maroon hood of my jacket up and my earphones blasting my favorite boy group band _'Big Bang'_ into my ears hearing their latest music, _Love Song_. I watch my feet as they mindlessly lead me to my first period class.

I can't hear anything that goes on around me. And it's not that I would want to, either. Why would I want to hear the other students go on about boyfriend drama and drinking and sex and drugs? That's all they talked about every single day. It's annoying and frankly, so freaking tedious at this point.

After dragging myself up the steps all the way to the sixth floor of the middle building (why our high school needed three buildings, I don't know), I enter my study hall classroom. The teacher is a dinosaur, I doubt she noticed me enter. The poor thing takes two minutes just to turn her head to the side.

I drop my stuff next to a desk in the back and plop down onto the seat. I take out my cell phone and change the song. I press _Bring me to life_ by Evanescence then leave the phone on the deck in front of me. I reach into my back and pull out a note and leave the phone on the desk in front of me. I reach into my back pack and pull out a notebook and black pen. I flip to a blank page and lay it on the desk.

I stare at the notebook, waiting for a subject to come to me. _Love story? No. Um… horror?_ _Ani-yo_ **{No}**. I need Amber for that. I tap the pen on the notebook. Fan fiction? I think of all the actors I could write a fantasy about. My list seems infinite to me; I admire so many of them. Yeah. Okay. Fan fiction. Fan fiction about… I mentally scroll through my list of male actors. Let's see. Orlando Bloom? Lee Min-ho? Leonardo D iCaprio? Jang Geun Suk? Chris Hemsworth? When I think of Chris Hemsworth's name, it immediately made me think of Thor and The Avengers. Then, I finally thought of the perfect man to write about.

Tom Hiddleston.

That man oozes perfection. He's British, chivalrous, kind and loves having fun. I am absolutely obsessed with him. Everything he does makes me melt. He's too cute! His impressions are adorable, as well as laugh and his dancing. Unfortunately, I can't call myself a _true_ Hiddleston fan. I mean, I haven't even seen all of his movies and shows. Unlike the _real_ fan-girls, I honestly don't know a lot about him. But I still like him, and I think he is the most gorgeous man I've ever seen.

Right away, I know what I want to write. As soon as the tip of my pen touches the paper, someone taps on my desk. I look up and take out my earphone.

The girl in front of me is looking at me. "She's asking for you." She says.

I look to the front of the classroom. Ms. Dell isn't even looking for me. _What is she talking about?_

Then my Creative Writing teacher, Ms. Hadsell, shows up in the doorway, a clipboard in her arm. "Athena?" she says, looking around the classroom.

I stretch my neck upward so she could spot me.

"There you are. I need you to come with me."

 _Oh shit_ are the two words that immediately pop into my head. I stuff my notebook into my shoulder bag, along with my pen. I slip my cell phone into the back pocket of my jeans, one earphone still in my ear.

"Thank you." She says. She starts walking down the hallway and I assume I'm supposed to follow her. She isn't smiling like she usually does. That has to mean I'm in trouble. For something (no surprise).

We reach her classroom on the second floor of the front building. She still hasn't said a word to me. I must have done something to piss her off. _I wonder if she found out about the nasty stuff I wrote about her and her husband on one of her desks._

She closes the door behind me. "Sit here please." She says to me.

I do as she says and sit down, setting my stuff next to the desk. "What did I do this time, Ms. Hadsell?" I was already expecting an explanation and punishment of some sort.

She smiles.

 _Ehhh. Eojileum-eun nega tong-yeong - chiha ji anhuwa suseoseob. **{So, maybe I'm not in trouble.}**_

"I needed to look strict because Ms. Dell wouldn't have let you go unless it was a problem."

"That's for sure." I say under my breath.

"However…"

 _Eom-ma-ya._ **{Oh my god}**

"The principal has been searching for you, and you haven't been in any of your classes. She has a seat in Administrative Detention with your name on it. Where have you been for the past three days?"

"Three days?" I say. "Really? I thought it was only two."

"Nice. Now I want a serious answer."

I sigh. "McDonald's, the mall, the beach, home."

"So everywhere but school."

"That's right."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. I can see the stress building in her as we speak. She busts her behind to help me get good grades in school, and I just make it harder for her. I don't ask for help, yet she still gives it to me. She's probably the only teacher I've ever had that gave a damn about me.

It's silent for a couple of minutes before I decided to say something. "So are you going tell me why I'm really here, or are you just going to let me give a hundred different signs of your disappointment in me?"

She sighs and opens a metal drawer in her desk. She pulls out an old copy of the school newspaper. "You're in our after-school Creative Writing Club, right?"

I nodded for I am not sure where this is going.

"So you know that every member is required to participate in the school newspaper."

"Participate?"

"You know, take part in it. Send in a piece, take a position or _something_."

"I guess."

"Then why haven't I seen any work from you?"

 _Well, let's see: it's stupid, it's pointless, it's redundant, it's tedious, and no one reads it._ "I haven't found something to do yet. There's just so much to choose from, and I don't think I have enough imagination and creativity to ruin such a nice newspaper."

"Oh I see. You can write a 175-page fiction story in your free time, but you can't take part in the newspaper."

"Yes."

"Okay. That's nice. You'll be taking care of the interviews."

" _Mwo?!_ **{What?!}** " I nearly jump out of my seat. The last thing I want is to be wasting my time with _that._

"I honestly don't understand your native language word in Korean, but from what I can see from your reaction. You heard me correctly. I will assign you different people to interview, since I know _you_ won't try to find any, and you'll come up with ten questions to ask and get answers to."

"Th-that's _real_ funny, Ms. Hadsell. You are such a funny teacher, I swear. No wonder your students like you."

"I'm glad you're amused because it's either this or a week detention and three sessions of Saturday school.

"Eh? _Eo?_ **{Huh?}"** Now she _really_ has my full attention.

"I suspected this reaction from you, and I knew you would try to find a way out of it, so I ran the idea by your assistant principal, the principal _and_ your guidance counselor. You can either take the job, which pays you five dollars an hour, or you can do time in a number of detentions your record really can't afford right now."

" _Araso, araso_ **{Alright, alright}.** That's fine."

"The nurse knows about it too."

I annoyingly pouted as a reply.

She grins.

I can't see any chance of escape. I have no family to help me out and no friends to use as an excuse. And I _really_ don't need detention in my schedule. I groan in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it. As if I had a choice."

"That's the spirit. Now, I already have your first assignment for you. He's an actor whose fame is slowly rising to the top. He's here in Stamford," She scribbles down all the information I need, "for an interview with… I can't remember if it's for Men's Health or Vanidades. Anyway, he'll be staying at the Holiday Inn. I made the call already, and he said he has more than plenty of time to do an interview. I assume you can get a picture of him off the internet."

"Is this your idea of sparking up the newspaper, Ms. Hadsell?" I ask.

"Come on, _Myung-hee_." She, _this time_ , called my native name instead of my English one. "How many times do we get a famous actor in _Stamford_? You don't exactly hear about one often. Besides, I got him by requests. One hundred thirty-two, to be exact."

"You counted?"

"Nope. They did. Now, I will have a cab take you down there during class today, and you'll be able to meet him there. Just wait for him outside."

"Don't you think I should at _least_ know his name?" I've been waiting for that specific piece of information since she told me it was an actor.

She bites her lip. She wants to tell me, I can tell but she doesn't say anything.

"Well?"

"I think you should figure that out on your own." She's smiling like it's a really big secret.

I annoyingly sighed. "Fine don't tell me. Can I go back to class now?"

"Yeah, here you go." She hands me the pass and the information.

I slide them into the front pocket of my shoulder bag and leave the classroom. Well isn't this wonderful? I'm on the school newspaper.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Claire Coffee** as Ms. Hadsell

* **Sasha Roiz** as Mr. Renard

* * *

 **Chapter II: Oh My God.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

 _"Mr. Hiddleston, do you have a girlfriend?" I asked him._

 _"No," Tom Hiddleston replies. "Do you have a boyfriend?"_

 _I looked down shyly with a soft giggle. "This is an interview about you. I can't answer that."_

 _"But if I don't know, then I can't ask you out."_

 _I blush while still looking down at my notebook. I tuck a strand of my dark brown hair behind my ear._

 _"So." Tom says, licking his lips. "Do you?"_

 _I smiled._

"No, I don't."

"You don't _what_ , Athena?" my math teacher, Mr. Renard says.

 _Aigo! **{Oops},** I said that out loud? Don't panic. _I look around the room for some help. Then I notice the writing on the smartboard behind him. It's a question. "Uh, n-no I don't, um, agree with the idea of the Pythagorean Theorem. I mean, we're taught to use it when finding the missing measurement of one of the sides on a triangle. How did the person who made it even come up with it? Did he just say it and tell people to trust him?"

Mr. Renard looks at the rest of the class in disappointment. "For the first time all year, _Miss Athena Park_ is paying attention, and the rest of you are asleep."

"Gee, thanks." I say quietly under my breath. I fold my arms and lay my head down on them. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I don't like talking to people, at all, and the next period, I have to go interview an actor I don't even _know_. I bet he's not even somewhat famous. Ms. Hadsell was probably just exaggerating to catch my interest.

I can't do this. I know I'm gonna mess it up. I'm going to fail somehow. I don't know how to talk to people. Ms. Hadsell said to just ask the questions, but I need to at least make it a little fun. I don't want the guy to feel like it's just another boring interview. I hate this. I mess everything up. Not to mention, I'm sure I look like crap like always. Why did I say yes? I should have taken myself to detention.

The fifteen minutes left of class flew by, and the bell rang for the end of class. As usual, I'm the last of the students to leave. I take my time plugging in my earphones and grabbing my shoulder bag. I'm just about to leave when I hear my teacher calling me.

"Athena?" Mr. Renard says.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I turn around and head to my teacher's desk.

"Here." He says, pacing twenty bucks in front of me. "For you."

"For… me?" I'm finally confused.

"The last day of the last quarter, I told you that if you impressed me during my class, I would give you twenty dollars. There you go."

I don't even remember making that deal. But hey, it's twenty dollars. Who am I to argue with a teacher? " _Araso_. **{Alright}** Thank you, Mr. Renard." I smiled a little as I grab it and stuff it into my pocket. "Talk to me again next time if you wanna make a deal."

He laughs. "Goodbye, Athena."

"Later." I smiled before I let the door fall closed behind me and go for the stairs.

I hurry down the steps; I'm already late for my ride. I basically fly out the door and up the hill to the front of the school.

Ms. Hadsell waves at me and signals for me to hurry.

I run down to her and the black car.

"Did you come up with the questions?" she quickly asks me.

"Ah! _Eom-ma-ya!_ **{Oh my god!}** I forget!"

"Okay, okay. That's alright. Come up with them in the car. Make sure they're good, and they're not too personal." She pushes me into the car. "We don't wanna know too much about Tom."

"Wait, what? Tom? Tom who?"

"The Holiday Inn downtown, please! Don't worry, I paid him in advance."

"Wait, Tom _who_? _What_ Tom-"

"Please move as quickly as possible. She's got ten minutes." Just as she is about to close the door, she pops her head in. "Tom Hiddleston!" She closes the door.

 _"MWO?!"_ I scream, I roll down the window quickly. "YOU SAID WHAT?!"

"You'll do fine!" she says while waving goodbye at me. "I know you will!"

Before I could say anything else, the man had already left the school and is now speeding down to the Holiday Inn. I'm hyperventilating, assuming I'm even breathing. _I'm… I'm inter… I'm interviewing Tom… Tom H-Hiddleston… I'm interviewing… I_ feel like I'm gonna throw up. My stomach is twisting and turning. My stomach is twisting and turning. _I'm sweating. Am I sweating? No, I'm sweating. Its fifty freaking degrees outside. Eom-ma-ya, I'm gonna throw up. Damn it._

 _Oh shit, the questions!_ I rush to pull out my notebook and pen. I open it to a blank page and begin scribbling down anything. _Where are you from? Ah… okay, that's good._ I write that down. _Okay, um… when did you… when…oh! When did you decided to start acting? Good. That'll work. Myung-hee-e-oda **{Come on Myung-hee}** , use your tumblr knowledge. Oh! What was RADA like? What was it like to study at RADA?_

Throughout the entire ride, I'm scribbling down different questions, adding a few more than ten just in case. The questions are easy to come up with. But asking him, that would be hard.

Asking him.

Asking Tom Hiddleston.

I'm going to be speaking to Tom Hiddleston!

We pull up to the entrance. I thank the driver and step out with my stuff. I slam the door shut, and the car zooms away. _"Eeehhh… eolmana goeihan sogdoui agmainga **{Eeehhh… what a freaking speed demon}** "._ I say with a small sarcasm tone.

I wait there in front of the hotel, drawing cute anime chibis of me and pandas in my notebook. I'm a little calmer, now that I've had more time to pull myself together. I try to think of the positive things that could come out of this. _He could not just show up. He could have a cold or something and cancel. He could promise me a picture for instagram of an interview. He could have a reason to cancel and promise me a nice conversation or follow on Twitter. He could…_

A black SUV pulls up to the entrance.

 _EOM-MA-YA! DOWAJUSEYO!_ **{OH MY GOD! HELP ME!}** My panic is back. I scramble to my feet, forgetting about putting my notebook away and slinging my bag over my shoulder. I try to keep my breathing even.

The door slowly opens, stopping before I could see who I'm waiting for. A black men's boot hits the pavement.

My heart pounds against my chest. My head hurts like hell. This is it. This is my chance. I take a few steps forward.

Finally, a man that's not Tom Hiddleston comes out of the car and slams the door shut behind. "Yeah. Yeah, I just got here… Yes, I'm outside." He sounds like he's arguing with someone on the phone.

My heart breaks and drops to my feet. My face heats up in embarrassment.

The man walks by me, giving me a dirty look.

 _"Mwo?! **{What?!}** "_ I snap.

He stumbles back in surprise. He hurries to the door.

You thought he'd actually show? _Naneun geuleon babo ya_ **{I'm such an idiot}**. I feel like I'm going to cry from this much embarrassment. I turn around to go sit against the wall again when I slam into something. I fall backward, my back hitting the sidewalk. " _A-aya!_ **{O-ouch!}** " I say, unable to move.

"Holy crap, are you okay?" someone says as I opened my eyes.

A man is there on his knees, hovering over me. He has curly hair and… a… great jawline… _Eom-ma-ya_ **{Oh my god}.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* **Claire Coffee** as Ms. Hadsell

* **Sasha Roiz** as Mr. Renard

* * *

 **Chapter III: Well, I Should Head Back to School**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I blink a few times, and the image becomes clear. Perfect jawline, gorgeously high cheekbones, eyebrows knit with concern, and bright blue-green eyes. I'm so busy loving his looks that I almost forget who I'm staring at. "Are you Tom Hiddleston?"

He lets out a sigh of relief and shakes his head. "Yes, that's me. Does that mean you're alright?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just a little b-back pain."

He stands up and offers me his hand.

I look up at him; the sun is directly behind him, making an almost heavenly light surround his head. He's so tall. I've never seen someone so tall. _Six feet. At least. Should I ask him? No, never mind. That's weird._ I reach up and take his hand.

His long fingers wrap around my wrist, and he pulls me up to my feet.

As soon as I'm up, I let out a groan. I twist side to side, trying to ease with a few cracks of my spine. " _Aya, **{Ouch,}**_ that's gonna hurt later."

He smiles. "Are you the person from Stamford High School?"

"I don't know. Have you spoken to her already?"

His smile grows wider. "No."

I give him a smile. I tuck a few strands of hair behind my ear. "Well, then, yes I am." I should be making eye contact with him, since this is an interview. _No time for insecurity. Look at him!_ I look into his eyes, and I'm so glad I did.

He's staring at me. His eyes, they have something in them. Whatever it is, I don't know. But it's powerful, and it making me melt.

I feel myself getting lost in them when he looks away, breaking the connection. Its good thing he did. I hadn't realized I had stopped breathing. I look down at the ground. _Too much?_

"I needed to tell you that I was actually on my way to go help a friend of mine unpack. He's going to be staying here for a while, so he needs my help. I was wondering if we could actually do the interview there. I mean, if it won't be a problem with you."

Tom Hiddleston is inviting you to go with him somewhere. Tom Hiddleston is asking you t-to ride in a, in a c-car with T-Tom Hiddleston. Tom… Hiddleston… oh, if only he knew how my mind reacted to his question. "Well, my teacher sent me here for this period, and I have Study hall next, so… sure."

"Good." He takes out his phone and checks something on there. "Well, I'm just waiting for my ride, so do you have any questions I could answer now?"

 _Omg, his skin is flawless. And his hair! I want to run my fingers through his hair. Should I?_ _Ani-yo_ **_{No},_** _that's testing dangerous waters. Last thing I need is for him to think I'm a freak… eom-ma-ya! **{oh my god!}** He's asking me a question!_ "Yeah, sure. I have them… um, I have them in my bag. Let me just…" I set my shoulder bag on the ground unzip it.

"Are there going to be a lot of them?" he asks.

"No. Maybe just five. I'll only ask more if you want to answer more."

"Perfect. I just wanted to make sure, so I don't take up too much time with my answers."

 _You're so considerate!_ My mind is squealing at this point. "Okay well, there you go. The column is not that big, so five is more than enough." Right when I get the last notebook in my bag, I realize I've had the notebook out this whole time. "Oh!" I look at the entrance.

My notebook lays on the ground, right next to the doorway.

I run to get it, slightly blushing, and return with it and the pencil.

"Why was it over there?" Tom asks.

"Oh, I was sitting over there before. I forgot I had put it down for a second." I open it up to the page with the questions. "Okay, um-"

"How about we sit over here?" He holds his hand out to his left, directing my attention to a blue bench with snowflakes painted on it not too far away.

" _Uwa. **{Wow.}**_ How did I not see that?" I head for the bench, Tom following behind me.

I sit down, leaving my shoulder bag next to my hip side.

He sits down next to me. I hadn't noticed his outfit: red, plaid, button-down shirt well-fitted jeans with brown shoes. He crosses his legs, resting his ankle on his knee. "What would you like to know?"

 _If you're single._ "Um, how about when and where you were born.

"February ninth, nineteen eighty-one in Westminster, London, England to Diana and James."

" _Uwa. **{Wow.}**_ You must have answered this question a lot."

"Like you would not believe.

"Sorry, I tried not to make them too common, but-"

"Don't apologize," he says with a kind smile. "It's only a question."

"Sorry, I mean, my bad. I mean, no. Not my bad… you know what? I'm just gonna write now."

He laughs his oh-so-famous **"ehehe"** laugh.

I can't help but smile. I write down the information as quickly as possible.

We finish the interview in half an hour. He even let me squeeze in a couple more questions. I was supposed to ask ten, but I'm sure Ms. Hadsell won't mind. I close my notebook and slip it into my bag.

"I cannot believe my ride hasn't arrived yet." He says with disappointment.

"Yeah, well. On the bright side, you'll now have more time to help your friend." I check the time on my phone. Fifth period isn't even over yet. "Well, I should head back to school." I stood up and slightly bow in respect like how my people did back in South Korea. "Thank you so much for doing this. My teacher most definitely appreciates it." After that I shake his hand.

"Leaving so soon? You don't have any more questions?"

"No, that's more than enough. More than I expected, actually." I get up, slinging the belt of my bag over my shoulder then I bowed again respectfully. "Thank you." I lift my head to face him before I started to walk away.

"Wait." He says.

I stop and smile widely. _I was just stopped by Tom Hiddleston. Why? I don't know. But I was just stopped by Tom Hiddleston._ I turn around to face. "Yes?"

He looks around, like he's nervous or something. "Why don't come with me, anyway? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just sure my friend would like a couple of extra hands."

 _He still wants me to go with him?_ "No, I couldn't. I'm sure I would just be a bother to you." I wave both my hands above my shoulder a bit hysterically.

"No you wouldn't. Trust me, it'd be fine. I had already told him I was coming with a guest."

I could be crazy, but I think I see in his eyes. _Eolgan-igadoeji mala_ **{Don't be a jerk}** , I tell myself. _There's only one period left_. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Wonderful. I mean, so I won't be bored. We won't be bored. We as in-"

I giggle. "I guess I'm not the only one who trips over words."

"Well, I'm not usually like this. Perhaps I'm just tired."

"Perhaps."

A small black limo pulls up to us. "Heading up north?"

"Yes." Tom says. He opens the back door and stands behind it.

 _What is he doing?_ I tilt my head a bit confused as I looked at him, not sure why he's just standing there.

"Well," he says, "you're coming, right?"

"Eh! You opened it for me?" I say, pointing the tip of my finger to myself.

"Well, yes. There's no one else coming, is there?" He smiles.

I know my cheeks must be red because I'm blushing like crazy. I move past him and slide into the other side of the limo. "Um, thank you." I say politely. I keep my body as close to the door as possible as he slides in as well. I don't want any chance of physical contact.

"No problem," he replies. He gives me a look, a sort of _'Why are you doing that?'_ look. He's about to say something, I know it.

"Yes?" I say.

Instead, he shakes his head and looks straight. "Nothing."

I roll my eyes along with a sigh. "Is there a problem with the way I sit?"

"Oh no! Not at all. I was just wondering why you decided to sit like that. You look rather uncomfortable, _nervous_ even."

"Ah, well, I don't exactly go places with famous actors every day. "So yeah, nervous fits. It really fits well."

He stares at me, a soft smile appeared on his face. "Afraid I might hurt you or something?"

"Well, we haven't exactly met before. I'm just going by what you're like in the interviews and all that. As a matter of fact, I don't even know why I'm in here. If we're not going where you say we're going, just know that I'm pretty good at martial arts in Judo and jujutsu."

He laughs. "Believe me, I have no intention of harming you. It's not very nice to threaten the life of such a…" he blinks and looks down at his hands. He clears his throat. "… Such a nice person."

 _I shouldn't be worried. I mean, what do I have to lose besides my life? And he seems sweet enough… yeah, Myung-hee. You're gonna die today._

"Well, I've spoken to you," Tom says, "and I've invited you somewhere, but I still don't know your name. Who do I have the honor of calling my guest today?"

I glance at him, then back out at the window. I'm still surprised at how lovely the car ride feels. "Myung-hee… _Park Myung-hee_. But some call me _'Athena'_ as my other name in English.

" _'Athena'_ Myung-hee Park. That's a lovely name, do you mind if I call you by your real one?"

"You mean _'Myung-hee'_?"

"If that's alright with you?"

"Well, not everyone calls me by my native name. But yeah sure, why not." I shrugged.

"Alright then. So what grade are you in?"

I sigh annoyingly. I seriously don't like questions about myself. "Eleventh."

"Wow. I thought you were in your last year."

"Yeah, you would think. But, no. I still have a couple years of hell to go."

"Hell?"

"Yes, hell. Two years of hell." _Don't ask me to explain, please._

"Why do you refer to it as _'Hell'?"_

 _And you're going to ask anyway._ I turn to look at him. I hope this would be a _silent_ ride. "Well, it could be because I hate the entire idea of school. Not to mention the stupidity and immaturity of the students and the lack of successful alumni. Or it could be because I'm wasting my time when I should be looking for jobs to buy my own clothes, and food and car-" _Aigo! **{Whoa!}** I cut myself off. Too much! WARNING! WARNING! You start off giving Tom Hiddleston an attitude you weren't supposed to show, then you decided to give him everything you say?! Myung-hee, neo babo ya!_ **{Myung-hee, you idiot!}**

"Clothes? Food? Aren't your parents supposed to do that for you?"

I stare at him, eyes widen and jaw slightly dropped. I snap my mouth shut and look out the window again. "How long until we get there?"

He hesitate to answer. I can feel his eyes on me, and it makes me uncomfortable. "Just five minutes." He sounds said. I expected him to be annoyed or weirded out.

"Thank you for, um… for inviting me." I feel my tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"It's my pleasure."

I wait for the driver to bring to our destination. I'm honestly mad at myself. I meet the greatest actor I have ever seen, and I make it unbelievably awkward. I knew I was going screw somehow. I just knew it. Well, then again, I didn't think I'd be going anywhere else with him than the Holiday Inn.

Then it hit me.

I am missing school. For Tom Hiddleston.

I am in the same car. With Tom Hiddleston.

Tom Hiddleston.

Thomas William Hiddleston.

 _Saranghaneun Sin ... naneun bakk-eulo nagalgeoya._ **{Dear God… I'm gonna pass out.}**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

* **Chris Hemsworth** as Himself

* **Mark Ruffalo** as Himself

* **Silas Weir Mitchell** as Ernie

* * *

 **Chapter IV: That Was Not How I Wanted To Greet You.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

We arrive at a huge white house on the North End. Tom's friend is probably rich. Most people on the North End are. I used to love trick-or-treating here because if you came after nine-thirty, you got at _least_ ten bucks in your bag. I made sure to go to a lot of these houses so I had money for clothes.

"I believe this is it." Tom says to the driver. He hands him a twenty for a seven twenty-eight cab fare. "Do keep the change."

"Thanks, man." The driver says. I've spoken enough taxi drivers to know that's an _extremely_ generous tip.

"No problem." Tom gets out of the car.

I slip my arm through the strap of my shoulder bag. I make sure I have everything and, just as I'm about to pull the handle, the door opens up for me. Tom stands next to the door, waiting for me to join him.

 _Okay, that's a little annoying._ As I get out of the car. "Thanks, Ernie." I say. I realized who the driver was a while ago. I just didn't want to say anything.

"No problem, little Myu-myu." I softly chuckled at the nickname he usually called me. "See you soon." I nodded as a reply before he drives off. I met him not too long after I ran away from home. He's a cool guy. Never tried anything with me. He's always bringing me a little something to eat. He's the only guy I trust and keep in touch with as much as possible.

"Ernie?" Tom says, closing my door. "You know him?"

"Old dad of my friend's." Immediately after saying that, my throat closes up. I jumbled those words up _very_ badly.

"I'm sorry?"

My cheeks feel hot. I started laughing to cover up my embarrassment. "Wow, I really screwed that one up. I meant an old friend of my dad's."

He laughs as well. "That makes more sense."

"Yeah, just a bit."

He knocks on the door and waits.

"So what's your friend's name?" I ask him.

"Oh, his name is Chris."

"Oh. I like that name. Chris what?"

Just as he was about to answer, the door begins to unlock. It opens up, and it only takes me five seconds to realize who answered.

 _Mark freaking Ruffalo!_

I freeze up. Another celebrity. I get to meet another celebrity. Two in one day. Two. That's more than I _ever_ expected to meet. Dr. Bruce Banner. Matt Flemhaff. Dr. Sheehan. I'm staring at all of them at once.

"Hello, Mark." Tom says. He gives Mark Ruffalo a man-hug.

"Good to see you, Tom." He says as he let Tom inside.

I follow behind him. I keep my eyes on the ground, trying not to shake from a mixture of excitement and shyness. _Don't introduce me. I'm invisible. No need to pay attention to me._

"Who is this?" Mark asks.

 _If you weren't one of my favorite actors, I would hate you. So, so much._ I turned around to face him and respectfully bowed in a usual good manner then face him again. "Hi, my name is Myung-hee, but most people call me _'Athena'_ as my English name." I extend my hand out to him.

"Hello." He says before he did the same bow as I do then shakes my hand. "I'm Mark."

"I know. I've seen many of your movies. I loved your character in _The Kids are All Right_."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

Tom came up to us. "I'm sorry. I should've introduced her. She's a friend of mine. I thought Chris would like some extra help."

I look around the room. There is one couch in here. The rest are boxes stacked on boxes. **_"_** _U-wa… **{Wow…}"**_ I mouthed out. Tom's friend must be very new here. Either that, or he's very lazy.

"So where's Chris?" Tom asks.

"He's unpacking some stuff in the bedroom. You can go help him. I'm just taking a break."

"Thank you." Tom leaves to the bedroom.

I follow behind him. I would feel too awkward just sitting in there with Mark Ruffalo. The car ride with Tom Hiddleston was awkward enough as it is.

The hallway we end up in is long as hell. The walls are cream-colored and plain. There are small nails hammered into each side, so I assume into each side, so I assume there are going to be pictures hanging from each step. My steps are quiet (from sneaking into apartments for a place to sleep in), while Tom's are heavier than I expected them to be.

I examine the floor boards. I can tell which ones will creak and which ones will not. The ones that are closest together won't creak because they hold themselves together. The ones that have tiny gaps between them will make at least some noise. It took me quite a few tries to learn that.

We approach a room at the end of the hallway. The door is open, and there's music playing. I hear boxes being opened and little things being dropped.

Tom pokes his head in and knocks on the frame.

"Hey Tom. You made it."

 _Deep. Australian. A hint of happiness. Uh-oh._

"Of course. You didn't expect me to let you work by yourself, did you?"

It just sounds like him. That happens. It's not who I think it is. _Ani-yo_ **{No}**. Too miraculous. I follow Tom into the room.

There's a man cutting open a box with a pocket knife. He has blonde hair tied up in a small bun in the back of his head. He wears a long-sleeve gray shirt that hugs his body like it doesn't want to let go and loose blue jeans. He's muscular beyond belief; how did he not rip his shirt? The voice had me thinking, but I know he's exactly who I think he is. He's strong. He's Australian. He's as tall as Tom Hiddleston.

Chris Hemsworth.

 _Why in the world did I not see that coming?! The gods of bromance! The best friends that have three different fandoms! "His name is Chris." How the hell did that slip by me?_

"Chris this is a friend of mine, Myung-hee. Myung-hee… well, I hope you know who he is."

" _Eom-ma-ya! K-Keuliseu Hemseuwodeu!_ **{Oh my god! C-Chris Hemsworth!}** " I said in full of Korean words, not caring if they understand while I stare in awe as he turns around to look at me. His eyes. Why are everybody's eyes blue? I mean, come on. Is it so hard to find a guy with brown eyes for a change? Why can't Koreans be born with blue eyes?

"I think she knows who I am." Chris says with a smile.

 _I can't respond. What in God's name did I do to deserve this day? I got the little girl in the store yesterday a lollipop. And it was the last of my money. Is that why?_

"Is she going to be okay?" he says to Tom.

"I think she's just in shock."

 _Oh my, I can't. I can't. I really can't. It's official. I've lost my ability to move._

"Myung-hee?" Tom says. "Are you alright?"

I blink a few times. When I realize how long I was frozen, I blush and look down. I let out a heavy breath. "A-Ah. I'm fine. I'll be fine." I hysterically bowed like more than two times to earn an apology from him. " _J-Jeongmal mianhae—_ I-I mean, I am so sorry. That was not how I wanted to greet you."

He laughs. "That's fine. No need to bow at me like I am a god or something. You want to start over?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's do that."

He turns around. Then he turns back at me and smiles. "Well, hello. I'm Chris." He holds out his hand for me to shake.

I play along with him. "Hi, I'm Myung-hee, but most people call me _'Athena'_ as my other name in English."

"Your names are both lovely, though I would prefer by calling you your real name, _'Myung-hee'_. Did I pronounce that right?"

I nodded with a giggle. "You did well. But yeah, sure. I would be alright with that."

"Wonderful, it was very nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

He laughs. "Alright. That was better."

"Definitely." I say, a little more relaxed. At least he isn't a jerk. "So anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah. My wife wanted me to put her CDs in that… whatever-you-call-it." He points to the TV, but I think he's talking about the empty spaces underneath. "Can you do that for me?"

"The whatever-you-call-it on the left or the whatever-you-call-it on the right?"

"Left. Here are the boxes." He moves to the bed and hands me a box filled with books and CDs.

 _"Uwa."_ **_{Wow}_** _._ I say. _If I steal one of these, will they notice? Ani-yo, ij-eo beolyeo. **{No, forget it.}** What will I play it on? Unless they have a CD player or something. _"Your wife likes Jennifer Lopez?" I ask.

"Yeah. She's always listening to her." He cuts open another box. "Do you?"

"Her, yes. Her music, not really. I'm more into kpop music mostly."

"Oh, you mean Korean pop music?"

"Yeah."

"I guess my wife's not the only one, she's also a bit of a fan of _Korean pop_."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He replied before he says something to Tom, then points at something else. He's probably giving him instructions.

Five minutes have passed, and I've only just finished putting away half of them. As I'm putting them on the shelf, I take note of the artists. _Jang Yun-jeong, Lee Hyori, Lee Seung-chul. They're all Koreans._ "So, Mr. Hemsworth-"

"Chris," he says. "Chris is fine."

"Sorry. So, Chris, I must say, your wife sure has a few of Korean music in this box." He tosses a few pillows and some blankets onto the bed. "Well, I can't blame her favoritism in Korean songs. She really loves music. I always get her a CD when I'm away for a long time." He takes a cord from Tom, who is sitting on the bed with directions. He starts walking towards the TV, taking the side opposite from me. "Tom, you really don't have to read those. I've set this TV up more times that I should have."

"No harm in being careful." He says, eyes glued to the large paper.

Chris just nods. "Where are you from, Myung-hee?"

It takes me a second to answer him. I haven't been asked that question in a _very_ long time. "My country? I'm from South Korea, Daejeon, I think."

"You think?" Chris says, smiling. "What? You parents didn't tell you about where you're from?"

 _I can't remember._ _Was it Daejeon? Or was it Daegu? Maybe it was in Seoul._ "I don't even know. They didn't really embrace their nationality. I just know I was born in South Korea. Though I vaguely remember that I lived there when I was only four or five years old before I permanently considered myself now as a U.S. citizen."

"Huh. Well, do you speak Korean?"

"I can speak very well in my native language but in writing, only little a bit. Like I said, they didn't really embrace it much."

"Ah."

After a while, I finally finish putting away the CDs. I decided to look around for a moment. It's beautiful, perfectly white and very spacious with dark brown wooden floors. _Uwa **{Wow}.** I wonder what it would be like to live in a place like this._

After a couple of hours of working, we're finally finished with the bedroom. The television and speakers are set up, and the furniture looks perfect. I would love to have a lifestyle like this just for a day instead of sleeping at Remo's.

"Alright." Chris says with a smile. "We've done well so far. I think we deserve a break. There is food if you want any. Just don't clean me out. And don't touch the V8. Elsa will kill me and whoever drank from it."

"Don't make your wife sound like the enemy, man." Tom says. "We all know she's not like that."

"You're right. She'll just kill me." Chris laughs.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

 **Chapter V: Have You Ever Been Married?**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

Tom waves goodbye to Chris as he opens the taxi door for me. I wave as well. I would've liked to say bye to Mark Ruffalo, but he left in a rush. Something about his wife and car, I don't know. _Mark Ruffalo, check. Chris Hemsworth, check! Tom Hiddleston, OSESANG-EGEULAE **{OHMYGODYES}** check. Is this how it works? Random people get miraculous days? Why? What did I do? I swear, I think it's because of the lollipop thing! _

We slide into the taxi. I sit the way I did before; I still don't really trust him.

"Where are you going?" Tom says.

I think about it. I'm not ready to go back to Remo's, so… "Anywhere is fine."

He looks at his watch. "It's six o'clock. You're not going home?"

 _Home._ That word… I don't know why, but it offends me. Home is supposed to be the place you love, and the place where you enjoy yourself. I never enjoy where I love _. Since when have I had a home?_ "Just give the driver any address. I'll be fine."

He looks at me like I'm crazy, but he gives the driver a location anyway. "The mall, please." He sits back against the seat.

"Thanks." I say. I sit quietly, playing with my fingers.

 _Eom-ma-ya, naega mwolhagoissneungeoya?! **{Oh my god, what am I doing?!}** I'm sitting in a taxi with Tom Hiddleston and I'm quiet?! There are so many questions I can ask him and I'm quiet?! Ani-yo. Ani-yo **{No. No}.** Being quiet is right. He gets enough questions in his life. And this is weird enough as it is. I shouldn't-_"Have you ever been married?" I blurted out.

Tom looks at me.

 _NEO BABO! GEU JILMUN-I ANIYA!_ **{YOU IDIOT! NOT THAT QUESTION!}** Since the words are already out, I have no choice but to roll with it. "Have you ever been married? Wife? Kids?"

He raises an eyebrow, but doesn't look weirded out. "Why do you want to know?" he says.

I shrug. "I don't know. You look like the type of guy who has a family of his own."

"Do I, really?"

I nod. "Anyway, you don't have to answer. As a fan, I was just curious." I stare at my fingers fidgeting again and just moving them around.

His laugh is barely audible, but I catch it. "No," he says. "I've, uh, I've never been married."

"Seriously?" I say, surprised at his answer.

"I'm afraid so."

I'm confused. A guy like him with perfection coursing through him and he's never been married? How does that make sense? "Come on. You must have settled down at least once in your life."

"I wish. Sadly. I have never been married. Only girlfriends, never my wives."

"Oh. Well, don't worry. You'll find _someone_."

He laughs a little louder this time. "How can you be so sure?" he asks.

"Well, relationships are puzzles. You just haven't found the piece that fits yet. You will, though. Soon."

"You sound like you know so much about that. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen, and you speak of love as if you experienced it."

"Well, I am pretty in love with Korean dramas. They always have a lot of lessons about love and relationships." I joked.

He laughs.

His laugh is too infectious. I have to join in as well.

"I'm sure a lot of people are." He says after the laughter dies out.

"Yeah, they are. Seriously, though, I may not have experience with it, but I do know what I'm talking about when I say you'll find her." if only it could be me.

"Hm. Thank you for the words of wisdom."

"No problem, Grasshopper."

"Eheh." He laughs.

 _K'yaah geuman! Geugeos-eun salang seuleobda!_ **{K'yaah stop that! It's adorable!}** I look out the window as we're closer to my destination. I recognize the bank I always pass when I'm on my way to the mall.

"I'm sure it's none of my business, but have ever been in a relationship?"

His question reminds me of math class. _'But if I don't know, then I can't ask you out.'_ I highly doubt this conversation will take that turn. "No." I say.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I would've thought you were currently in one."

"Why? Because I'm sixteen?"

He laughs nervously. "Well, kind of. I mean, isn't that the age most teenagers get their first boyfriend or girlfriend?"

I shrugged at his question. "Thirteen, actually, but yeah. I see where you're coming from. Unfortunately, I have never met a boy who even _likes_ me, so…" I let my voice trail off. I'm not very interested in discussing that subject.

"Ah. That must be tough."

"Mm, not really. I mean, I'm doing perfectly fine without one. It's not like I _need_ one." _Sasil-i anida! Hana pil-yohae-yo! Hana pil-yohae-yo!_ **{Not true! I need one! I need one!}**

"That's good," he says. "I dislike when a woman centers her life around with a man. I believe women are as strong as men, and are perfectly capable of living without one if they wanted to. They should be taught that independency is just as okay as being in a relationship."

 _Wae, wae, WAE na hante ileoneungeoya?_ **{Why, why, WHY are you doing this to me?}** If I didn't have a control over my fangirling self, I would swoon at what he said. "And you haven't been married yet? Oh my God!"

He laughs.

"I'm serious. You would practically be a perfect husband." _Malhada, Myung-hee._ **{Stop talking, Myung-hee}**. "I mean, you're the guy that every woman would dream of having." _Malhaji ma, Myung-hee!_ **{Stop talking, Myung-hee!}**. "Even I want-" _DAGCHYEO, MYUNG-HEE! BABO!_ **{SHUT UP, MYUNG-HEE! YOU IDIOT!}** I snap my jaw shut.

"You want what?" he says. He sounds like he doesn't get a clue at what I said.

"Want to…" I have no idea what to replace _Even I want to be with you._ "Want to… understand how you're still single."

The look on his face; he knows that's not what I wanted to say. But, like the kind person he is, he doesn't say anything about it. "Well, maybe I'm too nice."

"Trust me. You are the _perfect_ amount of nice."

When I look out the window. I see that we've arrived at the mall. Luckily, I have two hours before it closes. I don't know why I never thought of living here for a while. It's the perfect location.

"Alright," he says. "Stamford mall, just like you said. And look. I haven't killed you."

I smiled sarcastically. I guess I can trust him a little bit. "Well, thank you for today. I still can't believe I spent half a day with you, Chris Hemsworth, _and_ Mark Ruffalo."

He smiles. "It's a little more than you expected."

"Oh yeah, it was. So, enjoy your stay in Stamford. I hope it doesn't bore you as much as it bores me." I opened the car door.

"Wait a second." He says.

I look back at him, hand still on the door handle.

He clears his throat. "It would be a lot nicer if there was someone I knew to spend time with."

"Well, don't you have Chris? And Mark?"

"To be honest, I'm sure on a little vacation. Three weeks from the life of an actor. Chris is packed with interviews and filming in that time…"

 _Filming. Hm. What is he up to now? For some reason I would love to see him in a drama. Something like, 'Death by Kiss, starring Chris Hemsworth'… Uwa **{Wow}** , that's a weird title._

"… and Mark had to go back to California. Is there any chance I can, I don't know, see you again?"

 _Eh?!_ I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating. Tom Hiddleston wants to see me again. Me. He wants to spend with me. Is this really happening? Am I dreaming? Is this some kind of a joke? Has he been a look-a-like of Tom Hiddleston this whole time? Better yet, am I breathing? _Geulae, geulae. naneun sum swigoissda._ **{Okay, yeah. I'm breathing}.**

"A-ah, _ne_ **{yeah}.** Sure." I say, with a small astonishment of my words. "Y-Yeah, that sounds good."

"Wonderful. Well, since tomorrow is Saturday, I would assume your school is closed."

"You assume correctly." I assure him.

"Right. Well, why don't you join me for some lunch? I would like to try that Remo's place downtown."

 _ANI-YO!_ **{NO!}** "Um… how about Sergio's? It's a little Greek restaurant on Main Street with _the_ best pizza."

He smiles that charming, heart-melting smile. "Sound I pick you up?"

 _ANI-YO!_ **{NO!}** "I'll meet you there. Or meet you there. Both works."

"Okay. Twelve o'clock at Sergio's."

I give him the address and close the door. I wave goodbye as the taxi zooms down the street. It isn't till I get to the top of the steps to the mall that I realize one very important thing. I know it's just as friends, and I know it means nothing to him, but…

Tom Hiddleston, my number one celebrity crush, just asked me to lunch tomorrow at twelve o'clock. And I: 1. Have no money, 2. Have no nice clothes, 3. Feel like my chest is going to concave and explode at the same time.

 _Eum ... geuge johne._ **{Well… that's just great.}**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the story**_

* **Brenna D'Amico** as Marilyn Rivera

* * *

 **Chapter VI: I Won't Tell Anyone. I Promise**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I walk into the sitting area of the mall—the Pit, as we call it—and take a seat in the higher level. I lean back against the cold, brown marble wall, setting my stuff down next to me. I take a deep breath. I look at the other families sitting around.

"Jacob, don't sit on the steps." A mother says to her son. "People need that path."

Lady, there's four others like that one. Leave the kid alone. I don't understand why people are like with their children. Let them have fun. As long as they don't learn how to use a gun, they're all good.

"Don't fucking touch me." someone whispers from behind me.

The voice sounds extremely familiar. I sit up just a little bit more, enough to get a look at the owner of the voice.

I don't see her face; she has her back to the plants. She's talking to a guy older than her, maybe early twenties. From the way she dresses, she looks about seventeen years old. But then I noticed the one black at the end of her flowing reddish-brown hair, and I know who it is.

Marilyn Rivera, age seventeen, and currently a student at Stamford High School. She's in my U.S. History class, but I rarely see her. She's always cutting that class. She's known to date guys older than her. There was even a time when I saw her making out with a guy who looked to be at _least_ in his late forties. Everyone judges her because of it, and I feel bad for her. She's so sweet, and she'd never cause harm to anyone. She's never in trouble, and she gets the best grades. I'm the only one I know of that doesn't say anything about it. So she wants to date older guys. What's the big deal? They paired sixteen-year-olds with sixty-year-olds in older times. Why is it weird now?

"I told you I don't want anything to do with you!" she whisper, yank her arm out of the man's grip.

"Baby," he says, "you don't wanna do this. You know you love me."

"I did and I do, but I am _not_ getting involved with a fucking crackhead like you!"

"Baby, I stopped. I swear, I'm done with that shit." He sounds like he's on the stuff right now.

" _Really._ You _stopped_. Then what the fuck were you doing this morning? Eating powdered donuts? Get the hell out of here."

"Yes, actually. They were kick-ass ones, too." He grabs her waist.

"You're allergic to donuts, dipshit. Let go of Me." she pushes his hand off of her.

"Marilyn, don't be a little bitch. Get your ass home, and I'll fix you up real good." He starts moving towards her, a nearly-devilish grin on his face.

Just when I though nothing good was going to happen, the palm of her hand makes a powerful contact with his cheek, sending a slapping sound throughout the area, loud enough to draw attention from people walking by. _Let's go, Marilyn._

"You are a pig." She says. "You are an _addict._ You have no manners and you're rude as hell. Don't call me, don't text me, don't try to make any contact with me cuz _this_ is done." She storms away from him. It shouldn't affect the guy too much. I don't think he can follow his own _feet_ right now.

 _If only I could give her a high five right now._

Marilyn comes around the stone wall and starts to move down the stairs when she spots me and freezes. There are tears in her red eyes, her mascara beginning to run. She looks like she wants to say something, but it's not coming out.

I decided that I should say something, instead. "I-I won't tell anyone. I promise."

She starts crying. "Thank you, _Athena_ , but its fine. It's not new."

I don't know what made me do it, or how it happened without my permission, by I scoot over and pat the spot next to me. I don't know why, but I feel the need to help her and support her.

She looks at me as if I'm from another planet. "Really?" she says, surprised at my gesture.

I nod. I guess it's rare to see me showing affection towards people. I pat the spot again.

She sits down awkwardly, careful not to move too close to me. She sits properly: knees held together, hands folded in her lap, her back straight. She acts like I'm going to hit her with a ruler if she does something wrong.

"There's no need to be like that." I say. "I'm not a bitch or anything. I've just had a hard life I swear, I won't anything but listen."

She looks at me, then back down at her hands.

 _Alright. If you choose to be like that—_

In an instant, Marilyn has practically thrown her arms around me, her face buried in my shoulder, makeup and all.

 _Well, I guess I'm saving up for a new jacket_ **{Geulsse, sae jaekis-eul mo-eugoiss-eo}**. I don't know what to do. I'm just sitting there for a few seconds, frozen in shock. I don't know why she's hugging me, or why she decided to ruin my good jacket. We practically just met. But since I had a spectacular day, and I feel unusually kind right now, I carefully return the hug to her. I don't understand how she's so perfectly slim when I see how much food she eats just at lunch. I eat a few snacks I had and I ended up looking like I didn't gain a pound, not even a two or three. I honestly look like I'm in a petite thirteen year old girl's body, even though my age is currently in between a mature teenager and an adult.

I let her cry it out for a few minutes. I try to ignore the wetness of the tears that seep into my jacket and shirt. _Eom-ma-ya_ **{Oh my god},** ige eolmana olae jisogdoelgeoya? **{ _how long will this last?}_** _Imi 5 bun-i jinass-eo. **{It's already been five minutes.}** Naega wae ilaess-eo? **{Why did I do this?}** Wae naneun geunyeoga anj-aseo iyagihadolog chodae haessseubnikka? **{Why did I invite her to sit down and talk?}** nae noeui eoliseog-eun bubun-eun eodieseo geuleon jis-eul haessni? **{Where's the stupid part of my brain that made me do that?}** Gidalim… Chinjeol. Seongsil. Dongjeong… **{Wait… Kindness. Sincerity. Sympathy…}** Neoui jeon-yeomseong-issneun seong-gyeog-eul jeojuhaela, Tom Hiddleston! **{Curse your infectious personality, Tom Hiddleston!}**_

Finally, after two more minutes of crying, she straightens herself up and wipes her tears off with her sleeve. She notices the black make-up, then looks at my shoulder, a slightly worried look on her face.

My jacket is dark red, so some of the make-up stains, sure as hell, aren't going unnoticed.

"O-oh my God, I'm so sorry. I forgot about my make-up. I'll, I'll have that replaced, I promise."

 _I_ _yeojaaega cheoncheonhi naleul goelobhigi sijag hane._ **{This girl is slowly starting to annoy me.}** "No, you don't have to. It's fine."

"No, I insist. I'm rich. It won't be a problem."

Oh well, then I better get one of those red Armani designer jackets. They don't make these jackets anymore. "Thanks, but the jacket is not my concern right now. Why were you fighting with your boyfriend over?"

She looks down at her hands. Does she not want to talk about it? "Never mind. It's none of my business. I just thought you might-"

"He's been my boyfriend for the past seven months, and I was in love with him. You have no idea. I thought he was sweet and kind and perfect and then I found out he's a crackhead and I don't want a crackheaded boyfriend cuz that leads to trouble. So I dumped him a week ago, but he hasn't left me alone, no matter how many times I tell him to go away, and I changed my number and the locks to my house and my hair color so he wouldn't find me, but did a little while ago and I saw him doing coke this morning on the street, but he's denying it, and now I'm cutting him off for good, but I don't wanna let him go. I don't know what to do."

Every word that came out of her mouth was said so quickly, without a stop for air, that I have officially impressed myself by understanding what the hell she was saying. But I don't know why she poured everything out to me. I don't know what to say to her that will help her. It's not like I have friends that have experienced it. Correction: it's not like I have _friends_. I clear my throat, hoping that whatever I say, whatever my mind decides to spill some words of my mouth will help her in some way, shape, or form. "Well, Marilyn, I… um…"

She sits there very patiently, her eyes begging me to say something helpful.

I take a deep breath. "Well, you should delete his number, first of all."

She takes out her phone, taps things on the touch screen, and a swiping sound comes from it. "Alright."

 _Uwa. **{Wow}.** Jeog-eodo geunyeoneun hyeobjojoeog-ieyo **{At least she's cooperative}.**_ "Okay, then you just have to ignore him. Don't answer any numbers that don't have a name, unless you know for sure it's someone that's not him. If you still have any of his stuff, get rid of it immediately. Anything you have that reminds you of him, try to get rid of it. if he comes back to bother you, you can report it to the principal or the police as a harassment and have him arrested. Just make sure you have proof of it."

She raises her eyebrow. "Wow. That's really good. I wish I could've of thought of it."

 _Mission: success._ I smile at her, but it's really out of pride for my completely-improvised advice. "Good. I'm glad could help."

She smiles. She then gets up, smoothing out her jeans. "I should get going. I have an audition to get to. I want to be Belle in the _Beauty and the Beast_ play."

"Good luck with that. I hope what I said helps."

She looks at me; she seems to be considering something. Then she sits down and wraps her arms around my neck. "Thank you, so much." She says.

Again, I awkwardly hug her back. It's very strange for me to get hugs in general, let alone get two in one day. And from the same person too.

"Um. No problem. I guess."

She pulls away and heads down the stairs. She waves goodbye and exits the Pit.

I raise an eyebrow, but I just shake it off. _Eonjebuteo geuleohge dwaess-eo?_ **{Since when did I do something like that?}**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the story**_

* **Brenna D'Amico** as Marilyn Rivera

* **Robert Blanche** as Mr. Ferucci

* **Tyler James Williams** as Eric

* **Ranbir Kapoor** as Robert

* **Cha Seung-Won** as Park Woo-bin {Myung-hee's father}

* **Woo Hee-Jin** as Park Eun-hye {Myung-hee's mother}

* * *

 **Chapter VII: It's Just Like Every Other Saturday**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

 _"EOM-MA-YA! **{OH MY GOD!}** " My abeoji _**{father}** _shouted. "Dangsin-eun amugeosdo hal su eobs-eo?! **{Can't you do anything right?!}** "_

 _"Dagchyeo, Woo-bin! Dangsin-i deo jalhal su-issneun geoscheoleom! **{Shut up, Woo-bin! Like you could do any better!}** Nega eoliseog-eun jeonhwaleulhaneun geosgwa gat-eun munjega issdamyeon, bil-eo meog-eul biseoleul wae goyonghaji anhni?! **{If you have such a problem with the way I take your stupid-ass calls, why don't you hire a goddamn secretary?!}** "_

 _"Naega gajil yeoyuga eobsgi ttaemun-e! geulaeseo naega neoleul pil-yolo hangeoya, Eun-hye! **{Because there are none I can afford! That's why I need you for it, Eun-hye!}** "_

 _"Geuleon da-eum geugeos-e daehae bulpyeong-eul geuman dusibsio! **{Then stop complaining about it all the damn time!}"**_

 _I sit there on the floor, hugging my panda bear tightly and watching my parents yell at each other. I don't know what's going on, or why they're yelling. I just sit there quietly and watch them._

 _There's no sign of them stopping, and I'm on the brink of crying. "Eomma? **{Mommy?}** " I say, my voice sounding like a two-year-old's._

 _My eomeoni_ **{mother}** _looks at me, then back at her husband. "Dodaeche! **{What the hell!}** Neo uli agi ap-eseo na hante soli jileugoiss-eo? { **You've been yelling at me in front of our baby?}** " She starts coming towards me._

 _"Naega yuilhaessdeon geoscheoleom, neo babo gat-eun jasig! { **Like I was the only one, you stupid bitch!}"**_

 _She picked me up and carried me into the living room. She sat on one of the couches and starting shushing me, telling me everything will be fine. "Waenchanh-a, Myung-hee **{It's okay, Myung-hee.}** Gwaenchanh-a, jagiya. Eommawa Appaneun bang-geum iyagihagoiss-eossseubnida. **{It's okay, baby. Mommy and Daddy were just talking.}** Mianhae jagiya. Saranghae-yo, Myung-hee. Nae jag-eun Athena. Athena **{I'm sorry, baby. I love you, Myung-hee. My little Athena. Athena.}** "_

"Athena." My mother's voice was a man's now. "Athena. Athena. Hey!"

A splash of cold water hits my face. I snap back to consciousness in a panic, breathing heavily. I slowly look up. "Hi, Mr. Ferucci."

"Yeah. Good morning. It's almost nine o'clock. So get out."

I scrambled to my feet, using the toilet to support my weight as I pushed myself up. I smooth out my clothes and my hair. "Right. I'm sorry, Mr. Ferucci. I was-"

"I don't care. Just get out." He leaves the stall and exits the bathroom.

 _Nice to see you too, Mr. Ferucci._ I grab my shoulder bag and sling it over my shoulder. I took out my tooth brush and toothpaste and moved over to the sink. The first thing I do is look at my hair in the mirror. It's messier than usual. "Damn it." I say, running my fingers through it. My last brush broke, and I haven't been able to afford another one.

After brushing my teeth and fixing my hair as much as possible, I exit the bathroom and enter the restaurant.

There are a few customers sitting at tables, talking, laughing and looking at the menus. I wave to the staff members, who wave back to me with smiles on their faces. Eric, a tall dark-skinned waiter handing the chef an order, quickly makes a motion with his head, signaling for me to go to him.

I walk around the counter to where he is.

"Good morning, Athena." Eric says.

"Good morning too, Eric." I say.

"How was your sleep?"

Here we go. The same routine I've gotten every day since I started spending nights here. It's a "Hi, then "How was your sleep?" then "Where you headed today?" then he gives me at least three reasons why I should go home.

"It was fantastic, Eric." I answered. "The cold-ass floor really takes my attention off the smell of the toilets."

"No one told you to pick Remo's, of all places. If anything, the library is your warmest chance. So where you headed today?"

I rolled my eyes. _Did I predict it or what?_ "I don't know. Anywhere. I guess."

He shakes his head in what looks like disappointment and lets out a sigh. "You know, you should really go home."

"Please, Eric. Not this again. Just leave it alone."

"I'm just saying they'd be psyched to see you."

"I am _not_ going home!"

"How can someone live nine years without their parents and not miss them?"

"Easy. You get used to it, then you get over it."

He opens his mouth to say something, but ends up keeping his mouth shut. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a black container.

I look at it, not sure what it is.

"Here, I got this from the freezer. Take it."

I slowly reach for it and take it from him. It's freezing cold, the icy condensed water making my hand shiver. I open the top, and I nearly lose my mind.

It has sweets! Cookies, brownies, M&Ms, and _ice cream,_ but not just any ice cream. It has my ultimate favorite flavor _, strawberry_. I haven't had ice cream in a year. It sounds ridiculous, but it true. Every time I had enough money for it, something would get in the way. Whether it was because I need new clothes or medication, my pocket would be drained.

"It's not exactly breakfast, but it's all I could sneak out."

"No, no." I bring my bag in front of me and unzip it. "It's fine. Perfect actually, thanks."

"You're welcome. Well, I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye, Eric." I headed towards the door.

"And don't get arrested." He adds.

" _Eom-ma-ya,_ **{Oh my god,}** it was one time." I push the door open and exit the restaurant.

The streets of downtown are already packed with people. Parents pushing their kids in strollers, teens smoking cigarettes outside the convenience stores; it's just like every other Saturday. I start walking towards the closest clothing store: Burlington Factory. I've stolen so much clothing from them to sell on the streets. I've made good money off of them, and I think I could use some more money today.

I walk in through the front door and head to the clothing section for women. I already spot clothes that would look good to… _Gidalim. Naneun mueongaleul ijgo issni? Geuligo naneun gieoghanda. **{Wait. Am I forgetting something? And then I remember.}**_

 _Eom-ma-ya. **{Oh my god.}** I have lunch with Tom Hiddleston today. Uwa **{Wow}** , how often do I get to say that?_

I have three hours to get an outfit together. That's more time than I need. I can find something in twenty minutes and spend the rest of my time selling stuff. I look through the numerous choices of clothing, constantly keeping my eye on the security cameras. Sure, they can see a wider range than we think, but they're constantly rotating. If I'm quick, and I am _very_ quick, I could snatch them off the hangers and into my bag before they have a chance to make it a full 180 degrees.

I'm done in half an hour, longer than I expected. I took off the tags and security tags in the dressing rooms. I now have three dresses, four pairs of jeans, seven shirts and twelve items from the fake jewelry department. I'm glad the years stretched out this shoulder bag enough. I'm about to leave the store when I hear someone calling my name.

"Athena! Athena!"

I look around, searching for the person calling my name.

Marilyn is hurrying towards me, arms weighed down with least ten bags. She's smiling so hard, I'm surprised her face hasn't ripped in half. "Hey, Athena." She says.

I look around, hoping there's another Athena around here. I guess not. "Uh, hi." I reply with a nervous smile.

"How did your day go yesterday? I hope I didn't ruin it."

I shug. "No, you didn't. It was a pretty good day." I look at her hair. It's dark purple today. "I see you changed your hair color."

She shakes her head yes. "And I finally cut him off for good."

"Good. I'm glad. Hopefully now, he won't bother you."

"Yeah I know."

We just stand there awkwardly, not saying a word. What would we have to say? Yesterday was the only time I've ever spoken to her.

Finally growing tired of the silence, I decided to say something. "Well, it's nice to see you again, but I should get going. Bye." I leave Marilyn and exit the store. _Damn, it's cold out here. I should've picked up a winter coat. Good thing I got one sweater, maybe it will be a bit useful for the cold._

"Hey, wait up!" the second of heels clicking against the sidewalk follows me.

I let out a sigh and turn around to find Marilyn coming towards me again. _Geunyeoneun jigeum mueos-eul wonhabnikka? **{What does she want now?}**_

"I was wondering if you wanted to go get breakfast or something as a thank you for yesterday."

I raise an eyebrow. "It wouldn't be as a… you know…"

"What? No, no, no! Not a date!" She laughs. "No, it's not a date. You just don't realize how much you helped me with yesterday. Everyone gave up trying to help me with that problem. I never thought the person I never spoke to could give me so much help. So, as a totally not-a-weird thing, do you want to get some breakfast?"

I think about it. _How much do I have? Damn it, I spent it all on the salad from McDonald's yesterday. Wait, this means I'm broke? Eom-ma-ya. **{Oh my god}**. I should have taken more clothes. I don't like charging high prices._ "It sounds nice, but I don't have any money. I can't."

"Oh, don't worry. Like I said yesterday, I have plenty of money. I'll pay."

 _Eh? Mulyo sigsa?_ **{Free meal?}.** "If it's fine with you, then sure. Sounds good."

"Perfect. Let me just call for my ride to come here, and we'll go now."

"Okay." I couldn't have helped her _this_ well. Is this some kind of a joke or something? I bet one of her friends put her up to it. They probably dared her to take the loser out to eat or something. This is probably just a one-time thing.

We waited ten minutes for her ride "ride". What will her mom say? Will she be okay driving her daughter around with an almost-complete stranger? I wonder what kind of car they own. Maybe it's a Mercedes. I love the Mercedes cars.

Just then, Marilyn starts waving at a car.

I look in the direction she's looking. Which one is it? They're all blocked by a huge black stretch limo.

The limo carefully drives over to where Marilyn and I are standing. The windows roll down, revealing an indian man in the driver's seat. "Hello, Miss Rivera."

 _Daeche mwoya… **{What in the hell…}**_

"Hello, Robert. What happened to Maxwell?"

"He wasn't feeling well, so I took over." He gets out of the driver's side and comes around to our side. He opens the door.

Marilyn goes first, sliding onto the seat.

 _How much freaking money does she have, exactly? There was nothing said about her ride being a damn limousine._ I slide in next to Marilyn, the door closing after me. "Uh, Marilyn. When you say 'plenty of money', what exactly do you mean? Because I thought you meant you had enough money to repaint your house at least twice a year."

"Please. Repaint our mansion twice a year? Only Bill can afford that."

"Mansion? As in a big-ass house envied by all who can't afford."

She laughs. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. You never knew I was rich?"

"This is the craziest thing I've ever _said_ to you. I don't exactly _know_ you."

"But it was in the paper. You know, _'Jackson Rivera Wins 2.5 Billion-Dollars Lottery.'_ It was in the news January of last year.

"No. unfortunately, I missed that issue."

"Oh well, now you know. So where do you wanna go so I can tell Robert."

There's only one place I ever loved to go to for breakfast. "Um, how about IHOP?"

"Ooh! I love that place! I was hoping you would pick it. Robert, can you please take us to IHOP?"

"Sure. Miss Rivera."

I then realize something she said before. "Whoa, wait. When you said 'Bill' before, were you referring to Bill _Gates_?"

"Yep."

"And you just refer to him as 'Bill' like he's a friend or something."

"Well, he is a friend."

"Seriously? You are friends with Bill Gates."

"Our whole family is."

I could cry right about now. "How in God's name did you get to be friends with Bill Gates?"

"Well, we met at a yacht party in November…"


	9. Chapter 9

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the story**_

* **Brenna D'Amico** as Marilyn Rivera

* **Cha Seung-Won** as Park Woo-bin {Myung-hee's father}

* **Woo Hee-Jin** as Park Eun-hye {Myung-hee's mother}

* * *

 **Chapter VIII: This Place Is Pretty Empty**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

"Thanks for the breakfast." I say with a smile as I get of the limo.

"No problem." Marilyn replied.

I grab my bag off the seat and sling it over my shoulder. I close the door and get onto the sidewalk. Last thing I need is to get hit by a car because I got out on the other side of the street.

The black-tinted window rolls down. "See you on Monday, Athena."

I wave. "See you on Monday." I watch as the limo drives away to God-knows-where. When it disappears from my sight. I turn around.

Here I am. Sergio's Pizza on Main. It really does have the best pizza. At least, I think it has the best. I look down at my outfit: dark blue skinny jeans, and one off shoulder white sweater, inside my sweater is just a plain grey sleeveless thin blouse and the only pair of black wedges I own. I tied my long hair with a thin black scrunchie into a messy bun leaving my bangs and a few strands loose (Thanks to Marilyn, who generously let me have a spare for my hair issues). _I'm here. At Sergio's. In this expensive-as-hell-for-me clothes. Waiting for Tom Hiddleston. I swear, I have to be dream-walking. Waiting for Tom Hiddleston? Eoseo. **{Come on.}** It doesn't even sound real in thought. Plus, it's twelve-oh-two and where is he? There's no way—_

"Myung-hee?" Someone call me from behind.

I spin around instantly.

Walking towards me is a tall British god with black hair brushed back, a dark green V-neck, dark blue well-fitted jeans, and a black leather jacket. He dresses so simply, yet I _still_ feel like I didn't dress well enough.

Just seeing him should make me believe this is real, but I'm convinced I'm going to end up walking up after a damn coma or something. _O Ileon. Naneun mwolago mal halkka? **{Oh God. What do I say?}** 'Hey.' Ani-yo, neomu kaejueol. **{No, too casual.}** Eom-ma-ya, yeogi issseubnida. Mwolago malhae! **{Oh my god, here he is. Say something!}**_ "Hello.", I say nervously while fidgeting the tip of my fingers like a timid high school girl in a Korean drama show. _Jeez. Naega yesnal jib-eseo geu dangsiui eolin sijeol geu syoe jungdogdoeeo iss-eoss-eum-e teullim eobsda._ **{I must have been addicted to those kind of shows when I was a kid back then in my old home.}**

"Hey." He says with a smile. He looks at me up and down. "You look very nice today."

 _Mwo? Naega eoje ttong gat-ass ni?_ **{What? Did I look like shit yesterday?}** "Thank you. So do you. But you're Tom Hiddleston. You look like that every day." I put my hands behind my back, still fidgeting between my fingers.

"Ah, that's not true."

"No, what you just _said_ is not true. What I said is true."

He's… gazing at me? Or am I taking it differently. His eyes are lit up and focused on mine.

My heart is starting to beat faster. Maybe he's just lost in space, and I'm taking it as more than it is. I stare back into his eyes, and the connection is heating my face up. I look away before I started to get red on my cheeks, though it breaks my heart to do it.

"Right." He says. "So sorry. Um… so are you ready?"

 _"Mwo? **{What?}** "_ I say mindlessly. Then for a quick second I remember we're here for a _friendly_ lunch. "Oh right! Lunch. My bad. Yeah, let's go."

He smiles and starts walking to the entrance.

I follow behind him, mentally telling myself repeated how stupid I just acted.

He opens the glass door, but he doesn't go in.

I look at him, then back at the entrance. "Go ahead. You can go."

"It's okay. I insist you go first."

I blush. Why did I blush? I don't know. But I'm starting to like the opening-doors-for-me kind of thing. He's the only one who's ever done it for me before. It's still strange to me, though. "Thank you." I enter the restaurant.

This place is pretty empty today. Then again, it's always like that on Saturdays. Sergio's has been that way for as long as I can remember. It surprises me that things haven't changed around here. Actually, everything is pretty much the same. The same peach, wooden tables and brown-and-black chairs, the same red-tilted floors with scruff marks and chipped parts. The workers are still here, the owner is still cooking, my parents are still sitting and eating in the back.

 _My parents?!_

"Oh no." I say. My vision is just as good as always; I _know_ those are my parents. There they are, sitting at the table they always picked in the back of the restaurant. My mother with her tossed-cheese salad, and my father with his small cheese pizza. My appa glances at the doorway, a piece of the pizza near half its way in his slightly opened mouth. He looks back at my eomma, but quickly looks back at the doorway. Back at _me_.

I'm frozen in place, Tom standing behind me. Thankfully, he hasn't entered the restaurant. My appa hasn't seen him.

He's still staring at me, and I can tell it's annoying my eomma. _"Dodaeche mwolbogoissneungeoya? **{What in the hell are you staring at?}** " _She says, speaking in our native language.

I push Tom back and close the door. I grab his hand and run out of the restaurant. I run to the parking lot at full speed, pulling him from behind me. _Hananim kke gamsa hal su issseubnida. **{Thank God he can keep up.}**_ "Mr. Hiddleston? Tom, how did you get here?"

He looks at me in confusion. "My car. What's going on?"

"Where is it? What, where did you park?"

He points to the one on the very end of the line facing Dunkin Donuts. I sprint to his car. I glance behind me.

My appa just got out the entrance doors and is looking around for me.

I look forward and run to the car even faster. "Open the car. Please open the car."

He already has his keys in his hands. He presses a button, and the car unlocks with a clicking sound.

I yank the door open and jump in, slamming it closed behind me.

I'm glad Tom can take a hint; he runs to the driver's side and jumps it. he goes to start the ignition.

"No!" I say. "Don't start the car."

"Why not? I thought you wanted to leave."

"I do, but…" My voice stutters softly as I look out the back window.

My appa is looking around the parking lot, tears in his eyes. He's a bit aged but still looked like the last time I saw him when I was a kid. He has got small strands of grey in his dark hair, and he has slight wrinkles in each side of his eyes. I honestly had to admit that appa was still handsome in his middle-aged form. My eomma once told me when she was a bit younger in her late teens, my appa was such an eye candy that a lot of girls swoon over him. My eomma was one of those girls and was the only one who got lucky to be with him as his girlfriend then now his wife. But why do my parents always fight, if she said that she loves him and he loves her? Maybe the words my eomma told me are lies. A cover-up. To hide the real reason behind their relationship.

My tears begin to fill from my eyes as I started to cry at the sight of my father. I can't believe how long it's been. I want to run out and give him a hug, let him know I'm here, but I can't. I still can't forgive either of them for the emotional stress they caused their little seven-year-old.

I wait in the car with Tom. I stare at my father until, finally, he goes back into the restaurant. When he's gone, I let my head fall forward and bury my face in my hands. I cry quietly but powerfully, my tears still pouring from my eyes.

I felt a hand on my back. Tom rubs circles around my back, trying to calm me down. I love how he barely even knows me, yet he has no problem touching me and supporting me. Affection. I forgot what it felt like until now.

I take a deep, slow breaths until the tears are finally stop. I then straighten up, wiping the tears off with the tips of my fingers.

Tom moves his hand to the back of my seat. He faces me. "I've never seen anyone run like that before. You want to tell me what's going on?"

A small sigh pass out of my lips. "I, um. I forgot I'm not supposed to be in there. The chef's son really likes me, and he's a little crazy. He must have, um, just got of jail because he was in the kitchen."

"He must be very messed up if you had to run away like that."

I smile half-heartedly. "Yeah, well, he scares me, so…" I fold my hands in my lap. I look up at him, right into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I can go if you want me to. You probably think I'm crazy now. I'm so sorry, I really should go." I open the door to the car and am about to get out when he grabs my wrist and pulls me back.

 _Geuga mwohago issni? Naneun geuga naleul dang-giji anh-assdaneun geos-eul anda._ **_{What is he doing? I know he did not just pull me down.}_**

I look at him and, before I can react to this, his lips are on mine. If my heart wasn't before, it's pounding now. His lips are so warm, so soft. I can't imagine what my lips must have felt like as I suddenly close my eyes. _So this was how it feels like to be in a Kdrama fantasy world…Whoa. Hold up. What am I doing kissing a thirty-one-year-old? I would have pull away, but I forgot how to. Eom-ma-ya **{Oh my god.}** It's Tom Hiddleston. I really feel like I'm going to faint._

I open my eyes slowly, just to see if this is real, if I really am kissing Tom Hiddleston. I am. I truly am. This is definitely not a dream.

He breaks off the kiss, leaving only centimeters of space between our faces. He looks at my lips, then my eyes, then he pulls away from me. He lets go of my hand. "I am very sorry. I shouldn't have that."

I blinked my eyes twice and I tilt my head in slight confusion. "Why not?" In all of honesty, I couldn't care less if he regrets doing that or not. It's still my very first kiss.

"Because you're sixteen. You didn't tell me I could do that. And I shouldn't…" He lets out a heavy sigh. "I shouldn't have feelings like this for you, but I do. I, um, I really like you. You're beautiful, you're intelligent, and I find you very interesting. But I shouldn't have kissed you. I've known you for a day. We both have known each other for a day. That was inappropriate-"

I decided to silence him and calm him with another kiss. I make it short, then backed away again. "First of all, I didn't fight it, so it was allowed. Second of all, it's not a crime to like me. As long as you don't end up raping me, it's fine. Third, if you really do like me, then let's get to know each other better. Ask me out."

"You don't mind the age difference?" he looks at me with the eyes of an innocent, nervous child.

"No, actually. I don't. And I hope you don't, either."

He smiles. "Let me take you on a real, then. Have you ever been to Chili's?"

I smile in return. The closest I know of is half an hour away. "Honestly no. never."

"Then let's go to Chili's." He starts the car.

I close the door and put on the seatbelt.

Tom pulls out of the parking and drives off to the highway.

I'm gazing at his hands, their perfect, long fingers, and I realize something huge.

 _Tom Hiddleston-i na-ege kiseuhaessda. Naneun tom hideul seuton-ege kiseuhaessda. Nal delyeogagoiss-eo. **{Tom Hiddleston kissed me. I kissed Tom Hiddleston. He's taking me on a date.}** Don't. Freak. Out… K'YAAHHHHH!_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

 **Chapter IX: Just Trust Me On This.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

"I can't believe _that_ was Chili's."

Tom drives down the highway to God-knows-where. "What's not to believe about it?"

I shrug. "The fact that it wasn't as 'awesome' as everyone describes it. It was just another restaurant to me."

"Is that why your eyes bugged out when I ordered you that molten lava cake?"

I blush. "My eyes didn't _'bug out'_. It was just a lot more chocolate than I expected."

He laughs. "Yeah, well Chili's wouldn't have that if it were just another restaurant."

"Domino's does that."

"Domino is a fast food place. I'm afraid that doesn't count."

"Whatever."

He laughs again. "You just don't want to admit you enjoyed yourself."

 _Eom-ma-ya. I namjaneun pogihaji anh-eulgeoya. { **Oh my god. This man's not going to give up.}**_ " _Araso_ , **{Alright,}** fine. I had a little fun."

"That's better." He takes the next exit, ending up behind a line of cars at a red traffic light.

"This is _not_ Stamford. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere. You'll see."

 _Geuneun nabchibeom-iya. Gongsig-ibnida. Igeos-eun hamjeong-ieossda. Naneun jug-eulgeoya. **{He's kidnapping. It's official. This was a trap. I'm going to die.}**_ "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

He rolls. "Yes, Myung-hee. I am going to kill you. You've figured out my plan." The light turns green, and he moves forward with the rest of the cars.

"Alright, then. I demand you let me out here."

"Nope."

"And why not? You're so keen on killing me, let me out here and get it over with."

"I am going to kill you. Just trust me on this."

 _Trust. Him. What reason do I have to trust anyone?_

Twenty minutes have passed, and we still have arrive at any place. The sun is already setting, and the sky is becoming dark. I let out a heavy sigh. "Can I know now? Please?"

"A few more minutes. We're almost there."

I look outside the window at the passing houses and trees. Just then, I realize something. We've already passed the same dark green house three times since we got off the exit. _Dodaeche mwoya? Geuga ilh-eo beolyeossgeona mwonga issni? **{What the hell? Is he lost or something?}**_

As we pass the fish-shaped church (for the fourth time), he takes a left onto a long, quiet, empty road. There are no more houses; one side of the road is a big stone wall while the other side reveals a vast, sparkling ocean. This place is familiar. I watch as a bunch seagulls circle overhead. But _why?_

Tom pulls into a parking space just by the sand. He gets out of the car and closes the door behind.

I grab my shoulder bag off the floor and reach for the door handle. Unfortunately, Tom beat me to it.

"Thank you." I say to him as I get of the car _. Geuneun jeongmal geu il-eul joh-ahaeyahabnida. **{He must really love doing that.}**_ He closes the door behind me.

Before I can turn around, he moves behind me and covers my eyes with my hands.

" _Mwo,_ what are you doing?" I say. I grab his hands and try to pull them off. I get a good grip, but they don't come off. I keep my bag close to me, ready to use it if I need to.

"Keep calm. I just don't want you to see it yet." He begins to walk and guiding me along with him.

"See what? A beach? I've seen a beach before. It's not new to me."

"It's not just the beach. Just _please_ trust me. I promise you, you are _not_ dying today, nor are you dying for a while. I only want to show you something."

"I swear, if you throw me in the ocean, you are going down with me."

He laughs and continues walking. He switches to one hand and wraps his other arm around my back. "Watch your step here."

I carefully feel around in front of me with my foot. It feels like I'm standing on a step, so I hop down. I know I'm on the sand when my shoe sinks with every step. "Alright, we made it to the beach. Can I have my vision back?"

"No, you may not. We're at the beach, but I'm not ready to let you go yet.

All this walking makes the beach feel like it goes on forever. Then again, I _am_ blinded. Everything feels like they go on forever at the moment. Oh my goodness. I'm sixteen and walking down an unfamiliar beach with a man I just met, I can't see a damn thing, and the night is falling. _Geuncheoe gyeongchalseoga issseubnikka? **{Is there a police station nearby?}**_

Tom takes my hand and tugs on it. "Sit down." He says.

"U-um. I-I think I might trip over if I can't see where I am going sit."

"I've got you. Just sit down very carefully."

I bend my knees and get down slowly, first landing on my knees then sitting down completely. "See? You're not going to die. Are you ready?"

"Um. _Yeah._ "

He takes his hand off of my eyes, and before me is the most beautiful setting I'll ever see.

The sand is clean and nearly white, expanding for what it looks like miles. The ocean sparkles and shines with the setting sun. The _sun_. It actually looks like the sunsets I've seen in movies, even in Kdramas. It looks like half of it is dipped in the ocean while the other continues to burn bright for as long as possible. The sky is a gorgeous purple color that fades and blends into a perfect orange hue as it gets to the sun's level.

 _"Eom-ma-ya… **{Oh my god…}** "_ I whispered in amazement.

"You like it then." Tom gazes at me, smiling. Even though he doesn't understand on what I speak in my native words, he can understand my emotions and gestures in just one glance.

"Like it? I love it. _Uwa. **{Wow.}**_ The colors."

"You mean I finally found a woman who likes this sort of thing?"

"Girl." I correct him. "I'm sixteen, remember? I'm still a girl."

"Eh. You're a woman to me. You're too mature to be just a girl."

I blush. If he knew how I really can be, he would know I am _nowhere_ near mature. But, hey. If he wants to call me a woman, I won't fight him. It's better than being a man.

Five minutes already, and I cannot stop looking at such beauty. _How in the world do you find this in a state like-_

"You don't see this often, do you?"

I glance at him very quickly, not wanting to take my eye off of the view for one second. "I've never seen this before. I'm always drawing stuff like this. But I've never experienced it. Ever."

"Yeah, well, I had interview here yesterday, and I was just wondering what it would look like at the sunset. Then I thought you might want to see it as well. Though, mind you, I didn't exactly expect to turn it into a date."

 _A date._ I'm honestly going to love saying that. _A date with Tom Hiddleston._ "It's so… beautiful."

"I agree."

I don't have to look at him to know he wasn't just talking about the sunset. I feel my heart skip a beat as he raised his hand to my chin. He turns my head, making me face him. Then he presses his lips against mine before I closed my eyes, but lets it go just as quickly.

But I'm not ready to let him go yet.

I move forward myself, pressing my lips to his. He smiles against my lips, placing his hand on my neck. I feel his tongue slips between my lips, and I stop then slightly pulled away yet our lips are still close to each other. _Eh! Hyeo haengdong. Naega geu il-eul hal su issneunji moleugessda. **{Eh! Tongue action. Don't know if I can do that.}**_

"What's wrong?" He looks at me, a slight confusion look on his face while I put my hands on each side of my cheeks, feeling that I was about to overheat in major blush of what just happened.

"N-nothing. Nothing. It's just…" I feel my face heating up even more. "I don't know. I-I've never kissed anyone before. _Ever_. I'm not sure I know what I'm doing." I move my hands from my cheeks to my whole face, avoiding his eyes.

I can tell he smiles right in front of my covered face and he takes both my hands down to let me see his beautiful eyes. His face is barely centimeters from mine. "Let me show you."

In that moment, I remember a _gif_ I saw on a website in the library that, 'Has anyone seen my ovaries?"


	11. Chapter 11

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena"_ Myung-hee Park

 ***Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

 **Chapter X: You Can't Possibly Be Real**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize." I say to Tom. "But I seriously love your car."

He smiles. Once I'm out of the car, he throws the car door shut. "Thank you. I like it as well."

"I've always wanted one of those trucks from Ram, but _this._ " I run my hand over the surface. Smooth, warm, just _perfect._

"Hm. I wouldn't expected you as the kind for trucks."

I shrug then slightly smiled. "I mean, I love seeing a new Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe, but I always hope that one day I will drive in my dream car; a 2013 Ram 1500 Express. Black, especially."

"Wow." He says to me. "You sure do know your cars." He moves to my side as we walk down the sidewalk to Remo's.

I regret telling him to bring me here. What if he insists on waiting with me? "Eh. Just a bit. I only know a lot about the ones I _really_ like."

"Is that so?"

"You're questioning my mad skills, Mr. Hiddleston?"

"What are the wheels on the Express?"

"Twenty-inch aluminum, Goodyear brand."

"How much does the fuel tank hold?"

"Twenty-six gallons?"

"Transmission?"

"Six-speed automatic, sixty-five R-F-E." I cross my arms and shift my weight to my right leg.

He nods his head in approval. "Impressive. I've never met a woman who knows so much about cars. I hope you don't mind my honesty, but I find that a very attractive trait in women."

"Your honestly is tolerated without difficulty." I shook my head, raising my eyebrow and slightly chuckle at his compliment.

He laughs. "Is this you attempt at sounding sophisticated?"

"It depends. Did it work?"

"In a funny way, yes. It sort of did."

"Then yes. I would have been slightly embarrassed had it been a failed attempt." I smiled. I've been smiling so much these days. It's unusual to me. I hardly ever to find a reason to smile. _Geuga na-ege mwohago issni? **{What is he doing to me?}** Geuga eotteon mabeob-eul naege deonjibnikka? **{What kind of sorcery does he cast upon me?}** _"At least there's _one_ thing attractive about me."

He looks at me, his face expressing curiosity about what I'd just said. "What do you mean 'one'?

I shrug again. "I don't have beauty. I don't have brains. I don't have popularity. If you said there's an attractive trait in me, that's a pure miracle."

He raised his (perfect) eyebrow. "But you _are_ beautiful, and from your use of large vocabulary words, you seem to be very smart."

I snort softly. "Please. I read them out of a book. I'm not that smart."

"It must have been a pretty advanced book, then. And the fact that you remember their definitions is another piece of good proof."

"You sound like you're investigating me. I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was Sherlock. Not you."

"I don't know. I like to say I have my moments."

I don't care about who Sherlock is and who's not. I just wanted to get him off the subject. I don't need anyone to convince me of these lies. I'm perfectly fine with the truth: I am not attractive.

As we pass by Payless, I look into the store through the window. Heels, sandals, sneakers… _BOOTS!_ There is a beautiful pair of boots size seven by the looks of it. _My_ shoe size. I stop walking and stare at them in awe. There they are, just sitting there without an owner to wear them. It's a good thing, most Asian girls have small feet. _Almost_ lucky to be in fact. Black with slightly-visible white stitches, the rims of the openings are grey and furry and the heels is three inches. If only I could just walk in there and take them without any trouble…

"What's the matter?" Tom says. He had continued walking without me accidentally, so he moved back to my side and tried to find what I was staring at. "What is so interesting that you have to stand in front of this shop and stare?"

"Those." I say mindlessly. I press my fingers to the glass, pointing to the pair of black boots.

"What? They're boots."

" _Perfect_ boots. They're lovely."

He looks at me, then the boots, then back at me. "You act like you've never worn boots before."

"I haven't." My parents never let me try wearing boots because they 'weren't very classy.' I would absolutely love to have those boots. I need to start selling some stuff fast. _Eojjeomyeon yuhog-eseo naon gabs bissan jyueolliga hyogwagaiss-eul geos-ibnida._ **_{Maybe some expensive jewelry from Temptation should work.}_**

"So you like them." Tom asks me.

"South Koreans' first love is fashion, Tom. Love at first sight. Haven't you ever felt it before?"

 _Eh?!_ He grabs my hand and leads me away from the window. My heart cracks with every inch of distance gained. It's just a dream I'll never reach. I tear my eyes away from the boots and watch the ground as we walk. I really like those boots.

We continue heading for Remo's when he stops at the beginning of a crosswalk.

I look around. "What are you doing? Remo's is down that way." I jab my thumb in its direction.

"I am aware of that. I just thought we could take a small detour."

"I knew it. I knew you're trying to kill. You just thought it would be easier to make me _think_ you were walking me to Remo's. And why'd you park so far away? You know there's parking downtown, right?"

"My goodness." He says with a smile. "I've never had a date with so many questions. Can't you just take the romance as it comes?"

"Not when I'm sixteen, alone with a man I only met _yesterday_. Not to mention it's _way_ too dark for seven o'clock right now. And if you are seriously trying to take advantage of me, I swear I will kick your ass harder. Remember that, I was trained martial arts in Judo and Jujutsu. _Famous actor or not._ I will not hesitate to break your pretty face."

"Alright, alright. I see where you're coming from. I don't know how to prove to you that I don't want to hurt you. I'm telling you. Yesterday, when I crashed into you, I was only planning on making sure you were okay and then postponing the interview."

"Oh, how sweet." I say sarcastically.

He laughs almost nervously. "Mind you, I was in a rush. But… I looked at you, and… and I thought I was going insane."

"Insane? What do you mean?"

"I don't know." He leads me to the middle of the park, where there is soft, slow music playing. The trees are decorated beautifully, lightly frosted with special lights hanging from their branches that look like drops of water are from them. It's a beautiful shade between regular blue and light blue. "I always see teenagers around here. I just look at them as, no offense meant towards you, but a bunch of obnoxious adults-in-training."

"Well, I can't argue with you there. We can be really annoying, too."

He smiles. "But you… you were different. I saw you, and I couldn't look away. You were beautiful, you _are_ beautiful, and I don't know what came over me. Whatever that feeling was when I saw you, I know I haven't felt that way in a really long time."

 _Oh my God. **{Eom-ma-ya.}** Waei modeun mal-eulhaneungeoya? geugeos-eun naleul deo joh-ahagehanda! Naneun nae gisangcheonsuga bang-geum jug-eossdago saeng-gaghanda. O ileon. **{Why is he say all of this? It makes me like him more! I think the fangirl in me just died. Oh God.}**_

"Do you realize you had me thinking about you so much, I couldn't fall asleep at _all_ yesterday?"

 _I would've been more than glad to help._ I am tempted to say that, but I think it will just ruin the moment. I'll save it for my Twitter feed or something. Or maybe Instagram. I don't know. I'll find some site that will mostly help. "Jeez, Tom. What did I do to deserve all these" _-lies-_ "compliments?" I don't believe in anything he's saying. Come one. I'm practically a child who pretty much proved to him that he's my favorite actor. How is he not going to use that to manipulate me? _Probably just looking for a - (I can't believe I'm going to say this word) a **bitch** to give him a head. Nothing new._

"Well, if I'm going to want you to date me, and I really do, I feel the need to let you know _why_ I want you to."

"Eh. You are most _definitely_ not a fake."

He looks at me, confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know how there are celebrities who are just the 'sweetest' things on television, and then once the camera's off they can be total jerks?"

He shrugs. "Yes. I've met quite a few of those."

"Luckily, you're not one of them."

"I hope it stays that way." He looks around. The party is empty, only the sound of the music and cars passing by are heard. "I don't know if it pushing it, but would you like to dance? If only for a minute?"

Dance. Uh-oh. He wants me to dance. I can't dance. No one's ever bothered to teach me how to dance. _A neo. Ani-yo, ani-yo, ani-yo! **{Aw, man. No, no, no!}**_ _Why would you ask me that? Of all things? Damn it. Worst of all, I can't say no? Should I just say it? Yeah. Just say it nicely. Okay. Here we go._ "Um. Sure." I say, my voice a little more cheer than I expected it to be. _Dangsin-i jalmoshaessdago, meongcheong a! Geugeos-eun N-Oibnida! Ani-yo! **{You said it wrong, you idiot! It's N-O! No!}**_

He slides his hand around my waist. His jack is open; so when he pulls me to his body, I am almost instantly warm with the heat from his body and the warmth of his jacket. I rest my arms on his, my hand on his shoulder. He takes my other with his free one and intertwines my fingers with his. He holds it close to us, pressing it cheeks, then against his neck. He presses his forehead to mine.

My dark-brown eyes gaze into his wonderful blue-green ones. I feel the urge to look away and avoid it, especially since my face is heating up, but I try my hardest not to. I don't looking people in the eye. It makes me feel like they'll either start yelling at me (I don't know why), or they'll be able to see every single flaw on my face. And there's a _lot_ of those. But today has to be different. I have to be at least _try_ to get over those fears so I can share more of these kinds of moments with him in the future.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks with his soft voice.

"Mm. Nothing. Nothing but you."

"Me?" He doesn't sound surprised. "What about me?"

"Just the fact that you can't be real."

"I can't? And why not?"

"Because you are too perfect. You can't possibly be real. No man's this spectacular."

"No man? You obviously haven't met many men."

"No, but it only takes one man to convince you that all men are dogs. I was just lucky to find you."

"I'm thinking the same about you."

 _But you're not lucky. Nowhere near lucky. You're a liar. I know you are. You all are._ I look away from his eyes, now doing everything I can to avoid them.

We dance for a few minutes, holding each other closely. When I look up at the sky, I realize it's gotten much darker as the time passed. I have to be at Remo's soon. The owner will lock me out if I'm out. "I see." I say softly. I pull away from him, letting of his hand. I've been non-stop giving myself reasons as to why shouldn't consider himself lucky.

"What's the matter?" He says, shoving his hand in his pockets.

"Nothing. I just… I have to get to the restaurant. I'm sure my friend has got there already."

"Oh. Alright. Would you like me to walk you there?"

"No." I answer quickly. "I'm fine. You can just go."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm sure. Thank you so much for today. I absolutely loved it."

"I'm glad you did. Um… when can I see you again?"

 _Why in the hell would you want to see me again?_ "I don't know. I have school this week, so I don't think you'll be able to until Friday."

"You said you go to Stamford High School."

"Mhm. For the last three years."

"Oh. Well, alright. I'll see you soon. Then wait, how will I contact you?"

 _Goddamn it. A truly golden question._ "Hm. I don't know. I don't have a cellphone, so…"

"Really? I would've thought you had one by now."

"Okay, can you _please_ stop by stereotypes? It's kind of annoying."

He smiles. "I'm sorry. I'm, uh, just not used to dating someone much younger than me."

"Well, I don't mean to be a bit bossy," _-–yes I do-_ "but if you _really_ feel something for me, then you should really get used to it."

He gives me a quick kiss. "I know. I will get used to it."

"Thank you." I give him a hug. "I don't know I'll talk to you again. But if I don't find a way by Friday, can you meet me at the library?"

"Sure. If you'd like me to."

 _Oh yes, I would._ "Okay, I've gotta go."

He kisses me on the cheek. "Until Friday." He whispers into my ear causing my cheeks to burn red. He turns around and walks to his car.

I stand there, frozen, still think about how his whispering voice gave me immediate Goosebumps. It sounds sexier than I imagined it would be! The things I would love for him to say to me like that…

 _This definitely feels like I'm in a Kdrama fantasy world…_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

* **Brenna D'Amico** as Marilyn Rivera

* **Peyton Roi List** as Jennifer

* **Kelli Berglund** as Jennifer's friend

* * *

 **Chapter XI: Did You Hear The News About Tom Hiddleston?**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

Wake up. Go to school. Period one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Eat. Do your homework. Sleep. That has been my schedule for the past five days. I hate it. It's like my life is constantly stuck in repeat. I've been going through the same routine since I ever _started_ school. But I can live through it. Because tomorrow, after school is over and I am free to enjoy the weekend, I'm going to see Tom again at the library. I couldn't possibly be more anxious for tomorrow to be here.

"What'd you get for number seven?" Marilyn asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

 _I look at her._ I have been spaced out for so long, I almost forgot we're only in sixth period. I look down at the assignment in the book our math teacher had assigned us as partners. There are ten questions on Order of Operations, part of the review for the beginning of the year. Marilyn did the even numbers while I did the odds.

 _"Thena?"_ she says. I don't know when started calling me that. I just sat next to her on Monday and she called me _'Thena'_. Honestly, I couldn't care less. She could call me Brianna if she wants. I just want to get out of here.

I look at my worksheet and hand it to her. "Here. Just copy these down. They're all done."

She takes the sheet from me. "Wow. You're smart."

 _Hm. I don't feel smart._ I take out a notebook and pen from my shoulder bag and set them on the desk, I open it to a fresh page and stare at it. I always do that when I want an idea for a story to come up with. _What's available? Diary entry? Boring. Fanfiction? Mm… Ani-yo. Um, I guess I'll try a one-shot. A one-shot about…Lee Min-ho. Yeah, that's perfect. Um… angst about… her imperfection and she feels she has no one left when… when Lee Min-ho comes along and convinces her to be happy._ I admit it's not my best idea, but I've never really been good at one-shots. It's understandable.

Just as I'm about to put the tip of the pen to the notebook paper, the bell rings for the end of the class. I hold the notebook in my arm, grab my shoulder bag, and head for the door, Marilyn following behind me.

"Why do you have that?" Marilyn asks as we exit the classroom.

"Bye, Mr. Howard." I say to the teacher as the door closes. "Have what?"

"That. That bag. I mean, I'm not trying to be rude at all. Trust me. I just… I don't know. The thing looks like it's ready to fall apart at any moment."

I shrug. "I don't know. I've had it since I was seven, I can't afford another one." _Survival is more important than a book bag._

"Wow. That's a long time. You don't have twenty-five dollars to spare for one?"

"Marilyn, I don't even have twenty-five cents to spare. Since I don't have much of a choice, I'm perfectly fine with this one."

She can't stop studying it. She acts like it bothers her. "What if I brought you a new one?"

I raise my eyebrow. I hold up the bag. "This thing is not diseased. You know that, right?"

"Yes, yes. Of course I know that. I just feel bad. You're such a pretty girl with a book bag like… that. Not to mention you look like a cute Asian doll with a porcelain skin. If you update yourself with a new look and stuff. I think you deserve better."

"Please stop trying to convince me. The last thing I need right now is me having to owe someone money. Thank you, but I'm fine. Really."

"I insist. And you won't have to owe me. I'll just make it as a friendly gift. What do you say?"

I considered it. But I don't want her to spend money for me, or thinking I can't handle money myself. Then again, she is offering me a free bag. Well, _free to me_ , at least.

She sticks out her bottom lip, pleading for me to say yes.

I roll my eyes as I finally gave my answer to her. " _Araso, **{Alright,}**_ fine. If it'll give you some sort of strange satisfaction."

She squeals. "Yes! Oh my God, I finally have someone to shop with. I love this."

"It's only a bag, Marilyn." I remind her.

"I know, but this means a lot to me. See, I thought you didn't like me. Every time I tried to say hi to you in class, you would ignore me. I was scared but willing to befriend you."

 _She wanted to befriend me?_ "Well, that's because I always have my ear buds in. I blast my music."

"I knew it! Okay, that's why. It's no problem. Oh, and there's one more thing. I have a ton of clothes of clothes I need to give away, and I don't exactly have _friends_ to give them away to. You interested in taking some of them?"

"Yeah." I'm quick to answer. I've seen her outfits, and they were look _very_ expensive.

"Awesome! Meet me in the front entrance of the school, and we'll head to my house." She quickly looks over my body. "Oh, you'll definitely fit my clothes. You look like you're the same size as me. If I imagine you wearing some of my clothes, you'll seriously look like a kpop model. Alright, well, I'll see you after school."

I turn around. _Uwa. **{Wow.}**_ _We're at my classroom already._ I hadn't even been paying attention to the walking. That's the perfect proof that I've been doing this _way_ too long. "Okay. Bye." I go into the classroom and take my seat in the back.

I have my music ready. I'm about to pop in the earphones when one particular sentence catches my attention.

"Did you hear the news about Tom Hiddleston?"

It was one of the girls sitting in front of me whose hair is blonde. After hearing some of her conversations. I know for sure she is a Tom Hiddleston fan. She nonstop talks about him. If she's talking about him, then I _know_ I've got to listen.

"What about him?" her friend says.

"He's not single anymore." She sounds pissed off, which pleases me very much. I love hearing these girls get pissed. I find it amusing. "He has a new girlfriend."

 _Wait, what?_

"Oh my God, _seriously? Who?_ "

A shrug. "I have no idea. She's not famous. She's some Asian - Chinese or Korean looking hoe named… Myung-hee, I think."

 _O, ani-yo. Bulganeunghabnida. Geugeos-eun uyeon-ui ilchi il geos-ibnida. eojjeomyeon daleun salam il sudo issseubnida. **{Oh no. not possible. That must be a coincidence. Maybe it's someone else.}**_

" _Myung-hee?_ What kind of a name is that? Sounds a bit gibberish to me. And where'd you read it?"

"I saw it on some website. I don't even know. I just know they were slow dancing in the park yesterday." The end of her sentence slowly turns into a swoon. "Ooh, I should've been there! I bet anything that I'm prettier than that _slut._ "

I cover my mouth, ready to laugh out loud. She's overreacting over something so stupid. I mean, why would someone freak over someone who's only human? —oh yeah. I did that.

"Well, I hear he's in Stamford. I'm gonna look for him."

 _O, neo nongdam ya. Neo siljelo geuleul chaj-ji anh-eulgeoya, geuleohji? **{Oh, you have got to be kidding me. You're not going to actually look for him, are you?}**_

"I am so serious about this, it's not even funny."

 _Yep. She's serious._ "He's leaving today." I blurt out.

The girl and her friend look at me like they have just seen a ghost. The girl's jaw immediately drops. "Since when do you talk? Whatever. How do you know he's leaving?"

"Um… my, uh, friend keeps a watch on him. Yeah she's, uh, really obsessed. Kind of scary. Anyway, she, um, she tells me every time he's in another city, and she told me earlier that he's headed for Seoul tonight."

If she wasn't mad enough before, the girl is furious now. Her hands ball into fist of anger. "Wonderful. Thank you for telling me…" she waits for me to say my name.

 _Athena or Myung-hee? Should I tell her? Hmm… well. Let's just mess with her._ "Myung-hee." I say with confidence.

Her eyes widen at the name. Right when I think she's going to scream, the teacher finally walks into the room.

She stares at me in disbelief.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Our teacher says. "But I had to take care of something in the main office. Jennifer, please turn around. Is there a second of the day when you're _not_ talking to someone?"

I guess the blonde girl's name is Jennifer; she slowly turns around to face the front of the classroom, but she can't seem to stop staring at me. I think I may have done something dangerous. I am so ready to do this. For now, I shall sit here and wait for tomorrow, the day I get my next date with Tom Hiddleston.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

* **Peyton Roi List** as Jennifer

* **Sara Canning** as the Librarian

* * *

 **Chapter XII: She Likes What She Sees.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

The minute school ended, my heart is beginning to race. I am now on my way to see Tom at the library downtown. I guess you can say it's our second date. I just hope it leads to more. And more. And more. As I walk out the front door of the high school, I can't help but fantasize how I want this to go. I walk out of the school, planning out my route, when suddenly an amazing car pulls up. Classic. I ignore it, but then someone calls my name…

"Myung-hee!"

My eyes widen. No. No he didn't. I look around to find who was calling me. Then I see him. Tom is leaning against his Mercedes-Benz in a light brown coat, gazing at me and smiling.

 _Eom-ma-ya. **{Oh my god.}** Geuga wass-eo. O ileon, naneun sum-eul swil su eobsda. O ileon. **{He's here. Oh God, I can't breathe. Oh God.}**_ I walk my way towards him.

A bunch of girls have already started to gather, pointing and squealing. The crowd slowly gets bigger. This can't be good. And the moment he waves and acknowledges them, they scream and started to run towards him.

He doesn't even budge. He just lets them run to him. He starts laughing as they push camera and pens at him.

 _Uwa. **{Wow.}** Ne, **{Yeah,}**_ they were not in my fantasy. I force myself into the crowd, lightly pushing and shoving the girls out of the way. It feels like they're packing themselves getting tighter, but I refuse to give up. Finally, I see a hand reached towards me. It's a masculine hand, Tom's hand and I grab it.

He pulls me through to the center of it all. I look at all the girls' faces. Most of them are already in tears.

I don't have to do that anymore. I can be by his side through this. Is this really what we look like? We go crazy for him, this is what we look like?

"Hm. I didn't think this school had many fans here."

"There are more than you believe." I look around at the crowd as he signs autographs and takes pictures. " _Eom-ma-ya._ **_{Oh my god}_ **I don't even think all these girls could go here."

He just laughs and signs.

After quite a few minutes, he holds his hands up, a sign that he's had enough. "Alright. I love signing autographs for you, but the crowd seems to be getting bigger. I have to go. I have a date to get to." He looks at me.

The crowd really has gotten tripled in size. It's starting to reach down the hills. _O I leon **{Oh God.}** Geuneun dosiui modeun sonyeoleul yeogiedugo iss-eoyahabnida. **{He must have every girl in the city here.}**_

He takes my hand and leads me to the passenger door then he opens it up for me.

"Tom!" a girl calls out.

Both of us look at the crowd.

Jennifer, the blonde girl from my class, is pushing through the crowd to the front. "Tommy! Tom! I'm here! Your perfect match has come to-" She stops. Her eyes widen with shock and anger when she sees me.

I smile and wave a hello.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she screams through her gritted teeth. Her hands are in fists so tight, I'm worried the skin on her knuckles will split.

"I think I'm about to go to the library. And my real name is _'Athena'_ Myung-hee Park. _Annyeonghi kaseyo._ **{Goodbye.}"** I get into the car, and Tom closes the door behind me.

He gets into the driver's seat and starts the car.

As he pulls away from the crowd of screaming fans, all I can see is Jennifer's shocked and angry facial expression. I can't help but wave to her and unexpectedly sweet smile, just to piss her off that much more.

"Who are you waving at?" Tom asks me.

I shrug. "A friend."

We drive downtown to the library. I ask him about his newest movie, _Only Lovers Left Alive._ He gives me his summary of it, and I just sit in my seat and swoon over his wonderful voice.

He parks in a space in front of the library, and we get out of the car. He walks right next to me. "This library is smaller than I expected it to be." Tom says.

"Mm, not quite." A lot of places here are small, but the library is most definitely not one of them.

We enter through the doors. The guards greets us like he's supposed to. I feel so sorry for him since he has to do that all boring day.

"Wow." Tom says. "Never mind. I take that back."

"I thought you would."

The entrance is huge, and the first thing noticed when walking in is the huge staircase leading up to the next floor. To the left of the staircase: the check-out center, sitting area, and elevators. To the right: an almost infinite amount of children's books, mostly kindergarten.

Tom begins walking towards the children section; I guess he's taking the lead for now. He walks through the always-open doors. "And this is just for the little ones."

"Yep. You would be surprised how many children here like to read."

"Do you mind if I just around? Just to familiarize myself with the area."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." I follow behind him as he continues to scan the books. I look at the librarian sitting at the large wooden desk.

She can't take her eyes off Tom. She's studying him. Either that or she has a very bad eye problem. She likes what she sees. How can I blame her? Tom Hiddleston's gorgeous. She licks her lips.

I raise an eyebrow. Touch him, and you'll be tasting blood on those lips real soon. I stay where I am and watch, wanting to know what she'll be trying today.

"May I help you?" The librarian says to Tom.

He looks at her. "Oh no. I'm fine. I'm just looking around."

"Well, do you see anything you like?"

I hold back a laugh. She could not sound more ridiculous.

He nods. "No, not yet. But I'll find something." He's starting to find her weird. I can see it in his eyes.

"Oh. Well…"

I could be crazy, but I think I saw her open a couple of top buttons while he wasn't looking.

"… Why don't I show you to the adult section?"

 _Araso. **{Alright.}**_ I'm going to die laughing. I need to get in there. I walk towards Tom's side. I take his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. "Did you find anything interesting?" I ask him.

The librarian looks at our hands. She was now blushing, her cheeks a deep shade of red. It was the exact reaction I was looking for.

Tom looks at me. "Nothing, really. I 've never really heard of these books."

When I look at the librarian again, she is already back behind her desk. Her top buttons are closed once again. The only thing that hasn't returned to normal is the color of her.

He starts walking again, and I follow. He keeps my hand in his. "That wasn't necessary, you know." He says to me.

"I thought it was necessary. What was I supposed to do? Stand back and wait, because she probably thought I was a passing kid?"

"I'm not saying you couldn't cut in, but there _had_ to be another way of doing it without making her change color so quickly."

"I didn't want her to flirt with you. She looks like the type you have sex with once and run." I pouted a bit annoyingly.

"She wouldn't have gotten very far with me."

I glance at the librarian one last time. "Yes, she would have. She's gorgeous."

We stop in front of an elevator. He presses the up button. "Is this a bit of _jealously_ I'm sensing here, Myung-hee?" he raises an eyebrow.

"No." I answer much too quickly. I clear my throat. "I mean, be jealous of what? Nothing happened for me to even _be_ jealous. I don't get jealous, so I'm definitely not jealous."

He laughs. "That sounded very convincing." He says sarcastically.

The elevator opens, and we step inside. Tom reaches over to pick a floor, and I just can't stop myself from staring at his muscles. _Eom-ma-ya. Geu mugideul ... **{Oh my god. Those arms…}**_

Just when the doors are nearly closed, I see two women with their phones, camera facing me and Tom.

 _O, ani-yo. **{Oh no.}**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

Chapter XIII: I Could Have Told Him.

 **~o~**

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 **.**

 **~o~**

I remain staring at closed elevator doors. "Um, Tom." I say.

"What is it?" he says. He looks at me. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Worse. I saw cameras. And women smiling at us."

He smiles then leans down and quickly kisses my cheek. "Don't worry about it. A few pictures on the internet won't affect us."

"No, you don't understand. My picture can't _be_ on the internet. It can't be anywhere. At all."

"Why not? It's not like they're writing an article on you. They don't know who you are."

"No, my face can't… ugh. Okay, Tom. I need to tell you something. I-"

When the doors slide open, a huge group of girls, who were most likely waiting for Tom, begin squealing and jumping up and down. It's a smaller version of the scene at high school.

I look at their excited (some crying) faces. "Holy crap, that was fast."

He laughs and step out of the elevator, still holding my hand.

 _Jenjang! Wae naleul banghaehaeyahabnikka? **{Goddamn it! Why must you interrupt me?}**_

He takes pens and books that I'm sure aren't even _theirs_ and starts autographs. The squeals get louder as minutes pass. "Okay, I'm happy to sign for all of you, but this is still a public library. I would appreciate it if you kept your voices very low."

They do as he says; they'll do _anything_ he says.

Two girls actually hand him pens and picture, and, when he takes them, they get down on their knees. "Loki, our King."

I look at them, wide-eyed and horrified. _Salamdeul-eun siljelo geuleohgehabnikka? **{People actually do that?}**_

"Please, girls. Your respect for Loki has been noted. Kneeling is not necessary."

"But we must." The brunette says. "In the presence of our king, we must kneel."

I know this is a joke when I noticed her friend is trying to hold back a laugh.

"Yes, but I am Tom. Loki is not here right now. There's no need for that."

"Fine. Until next time…" She takes both their autographs and bows to him, then walks away with her friend.

The rest of the group don't seem to care about what just happened. They're still pushing stuff towards him.

"Hey, Myung-hee." He says to me while he signs some girl's shirt. "What did you want to say to me in the lift?"

 _'The lift.' He calls it 'the lift'. That's adorable._ I shrug. "I'll um. I'll wait till you're done. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" he gives me a worried glance.

"Yeah. No, I'm fine. It's all good." I gave a small reassuring smile to him.

"Alright, darling. This will only take a couple of minutes."

I nod as a reply before I leave him to his fans.

It's nearly ten minutes before he's finally finished. When the last of the girls walk away, he breathes a sigh of relief.

I wait for him in one of the reading chair, reading Shakespeare's _Romeo + Juliet._

He sits down in the seat next to me. Quickly looks forward to get a good look at the cover.

"You know." I say, turning a page. "I'll never be able to read this book without seeing Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo."

He smiles. "What? You wouldn't imagine _me_ as your Romeo?" He jokes.

"Romeo kills himself in the end. I _refuse_ to think of you as Romeo. Pass."

He laughs. That laugh. The **'ehehe'** laugh loved around the world.

"Plus, your attempt to romance Jewel shows how good a 'Romeo' you can be."

He laughs a little harder. "Surburban Shootout. I remember that. Yes, that wasn't my best Romeo, but I swear I've advanced then."

"Mhm, I'm sure you are. Mr. Biceps."

I could have sworn I saw him blush. _No, he couldn't have blushed. He's Tom Hiddleston. Tom Hiddleston doesn't blush._

"So, um, about what happened in the lift? I wish we hadn't cut you off like that. Please continue."

I keep my eyes glued to the book. I think of something to say. "I… really don't like attention. I mean, when I get it, I can handle it at time. But afterwards, I'm just… like… I don't know I get these anxiety attacks. Like, 'Oh my God. What just happened? Why were all these people there? Oh my God. They know who I am. Aaah. Whyyy?' That sort of thing. It's nothing to worry about, though. It's all good." I turn another page, even though I've read absolutely nothing.

"Oh. That's terrible. I'm sorry, if I had known-"

"No, no, no. _Please_ don't worry about it. I won't die from it, so it's nothing to worry about it. It's fine."

There's still worry in his expression… and something. _Geuga geugeos-eul sassnayo? Geuge mid-eulman haessni? Naneun gonghwang baljag-iissneun geos gat-ass gi ttaemun-e geugeos-eul sayahaessseubnida. **{Did he buy it? Was that believable? I sounded like I was having a panic attack, so he should've bought it.}**_

He stands up from his seat. "I'll be right back, darling. I'm going to go find a book."

"Alright."

When he walks away, I rub my eyes in stress. I could have told him. I could have said, 'I'm a runaway kid. I have been for the past nine years. And I really can't let you report me.' Yeah, when I went through that in my head two more times, I realized how stupid it would be to say that. I should wait until I'm eighteen to tell him. Oh, who am I kidding? I doubt he'll stick around until I'm eighteen.

He returns to his seat, a little red book in his hand. The book title is in clear-to-read, yellow letters. _Catcher in the Rye._ "I've read this book twice already, but it's much too interesting to pass up another opportunity."

I continue reading the book in my hands. "I think the same thing about Naruto."

His eyes widen in a slight confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

I look up at him. "You know, the Japanese manga comic book, the world full of ninjas? For older kids? With the protagonist who… was…" I am not getting anywhere with his description. "Never mind. I was joking, anyway." _Awkward._

As we read in the silence, I glance up at him a few times. Every single time I see him, he seems to be staring at me. I try to ignore it, but I eventually feel holes burning into the side of my face. After one more glance, and he's _still_ staring at me, I just look up at him. "You seem to have more interest in my face than the book."

"I do." He admits shamelessly. "I really do. You are just so… _beautiful._ "

"Oh, please." I roll my eyes. "Stop kidding yourself. I am definitely not."

"Yes, you are. You very much are."

"No, I'm _not._ "

"Yes, you _are._ Why do you convince yourself otherwise?"

"I believe the truth. You're the one that's convinced otherwise."

"Really? I bet if I asked at least _ten_ guys in this library, they'd agree that you're beautiful."

My chest tightens in anger. My hands begin to shake, curling into fists. " _Jungji hasibsio. **{Please stop.}**_ Please, just… just stop." I leave the book on the armrest and stand up. "I am not beautiful. Hell, I'm not even _pretty_." I storm towards the elevator and hit the down button.

Tom follows behind me in a rush.

I jump into the elevator and try hitting the 'Close Door' button as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately. Tom makes it into the elevator just before the doors close. I turn away from him; I don't want him to see me like this.

"Myung-hee." He says, concerned. "Myung-hee, _please_ look at me."

I continue facing the wall, my long hair covering each side of my face making it enough to avoid seeing him.

The elevator stops. The doors open up.

"Please." I hear him say. "Can you please take the next one? I'm sorry, it's just my girlfriend needs a moment."

 _Girlfriend? Geuneun danji na ... yeoja chingulago buleudeongayo? **{Did he just call me his… girlfriend?}**_

"Yeah, sure." A woman says. "No problem."

"Thank you." He returns his attention to me. "Myung-hee, why would you say something like that? Why would you say you're not even pretty?"

"Because it's the _truth._ I'm not pretty. I'm not good-looking. I'm just a plain looking girl with a petite figure. I'm not beautiful." Tears start rolling down my face.

"That's not the truth. That's what you tell yourself, but that's not the truth. You are beautiful, inside and out."

"I don't feel like that." I turn to fully face him. "I-" My voice won't even make it past whispering. That's how angry I am. I don't try to make it louder. "I, I look at my reflection every day. Every. Damn. Day. And all I see is a reflection of flaws. That's all there will ever be. Flaws." The elevator doors open, and I rush out toward the exit.

"Because you look for flaws, darling." He follows behind me, still telling me I'm lying to myself. He catches up to my side and lowers his voice. "When I look at you, all I see is the beautiful face of a woman with potential. What you tell yourself to look for is a girl with flaws.

More tears spill. He's already seen them. There is no use in hiding them. " _Wae? **{Why?}** _Why do I look for them? If they hurt me so much, why do I still look for them?"

He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight.

Weakly, I hug him back.

"I don't know. I wish I could give you an answer, but I don't know it."

He's helping me so much right now. How can I keep my running away a secret from him? _I have to tell him the truth. Why won't I let him go to Remo's? Why I can't communicate with him? He needs to know._ "Tom, there something I really need to tell you. Is there any chance we can go to Remo's?" I point to that exact restaurant across the street.

"Yeah, sure. Why do we have to speak there?"

I wipe my tears with my sleeve. "Because it kind of has to do with my situation."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

* **Tyler James Williams** as Eric

* * *

 **Chapter XIV: Thank You For Listening.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I enter the restaurant; it's closed for the hour since it's everyone's lunch time. Every table is empty, and some of the employees are still lingering.

"Okay." Tom says, following me into Remo's. "Why are we here? I thought you wanted to eat later?"

"I'm not here to eat." I reply. "I'm here to talk."

"Back so soon, Athena?"

I look from behind me. I smile weakly. "Hey, Eric." I wave to him.

He waves back and returns to his conversation with the cashier.

 _Geunyeoneun yeppeuda. Nae daehaeseo najung-e mul-eobolgeoya. **{She's pretty. I'll ask him about her later.}**_ "Let's just, um, take a seat."

Tom sits down at a table, and so do I. He folds his hands and rests them in front of him.

I look around the restaurant, think of a way to explain this. How do I admit something like this? What if he really does turn me in? What if he would be forced to leave me alone? He wouldn't want to put himself at risk of getting arrested.

"Is everything alright?" he asks me. "Are you still hurt over what happened at the library?"

I shake my head slightly. "No, no. I cry about that all the time. Believe me. That was _not_ the first.

"Well, that's not good. Why would you-"

"Tom, I'm not here to talk about that." I had to stop him before that resurfaced. I I don't like cutting him off, but that's not really something I want to get into now. "I… well…" I take a deep breath. "You seem like… the… type of guy that likes, um, _serious_ relationships. Am I right?"

He thinks about it. "Yes, I suppose so. Why?"

I stare at the table. There's no way I'll be able to look at him directly while saying this. Another deep breath. "I-I would, um, _love_ to start something serious. With you. I mean, if that's… what you… want… _Mapsosa, **{Oh my god,}**_ I'm not good at this."

He laughs softly. He reaches over and grabs my hand, holding it between his. "I would love to make you my girlfriend. I would very much prefer it, actually."

Hearing that from him made me smile with happiness, but the pressure of the moment wiped it away just as quickly. _Why is this so hard for me? He said I could trust him, right?_ "Alright. Well… trust me when I say I would love for that to happen. But… I don't really think I can do that."

He looks at me, a bit confused. "Why? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"No, it's fine. I have to tell you anyway. I just… I don't know how."

"I can tell. You keep trying to crawl around it."

I half-smiled. "I do, don't I? Okay, I need to stop. I need to say this. Just get it out. You need to know this before anything else. Because if we get serious without you knowing-"

 _"Myung-hee."_ He says, smiling. "Can you please stop beating around the bush? You're making me anxious."

I laugh softly. "I was just doing that to annoy you." My expression changes to slightly nervous. "I'm… I'm a… how do I put this? I'm a… runaway… child."

He looks at me like I just spoke a whole new language. "I'm sorry?" he says.

 _Geuge naega saeng-gaghan geoscheoleom isanghage nawassna? **{Did that really come out as weird as I thought?}**_ "I'm a runaway child. I think that's what you call it… I don't know. I 've been calling myself that for years now."

It's too quiet. I can't avoid looking at him. If I'm serious about, I have to look at his face. With whatever the confidence I have, I look up at him.

The expression on his face clearly says he is trying to put this together.

I wait for him to say something, giving him as much time as he may need. _Why do people insist on hiding their reactions?_

"You are…" he hasn't let go of my hand, which must be a good sign. "You are… a fugitive?"

I consider it. _Naneun jeon-e geuleohge saeng-gaghan jeog-i eobsda_. **_{I have never thought of it that way before.}_** "Yes, I guess you could call it that. It kind of makes a bit more sense."

"A fugitive." He repeats.

"Yes."

He returns to his look of confusion. "What exactly did you run away from?"

"My parents."

He takes that in for a moment. "I-I'm sorry." He lets go of my hand and leans back in his chair.

My hand feels empty, like there was never anything there. I lightly flex my fingers and leave my hand right where it has been.

"You ran away from your parents. So they do not know where you are. At all."

I nod. This doesn't seem to be going smoothly.

"Since when? How long have been gone from them?"

I shrug. "One or two… years." I mention the 'years' part softly.

" _Years_?" His eyes widen, leaning forward in his seat a little further now.

"Maybe nine."

His face is frozen for a few seconds. Then he covers his face with his hands.

 _Hwanan Tom ingayo? Geuleohdamyeon, naega geugeos-eul cheoli hal su_ _issneunji moleugessseubnida. **{Is this an angry Tom? If it is, I don't know if I can handle it.}**_ "I'm not sure how you're taking this, but I'm sorry. In all honesty, I didn't think I would ever tell anybody. But I started to trust you, and, in the elevator, you called me your girlfriend…"

He lowers his hands to the table, keeping himself calm. "Nine years. You ran away from your parents nine years ago." He drums his fingers on the table. "So… how exactly is Remo's relevant to this?"

I look at the bathroom, then at him. I point my thumb towards the bathroom door. "Because that is where I've been living for the past few months. I move to a new place every year."

"You've been living a bathroom? That's terrible."

"Because I have so many options right now, right? I can only hope to get a fitting room somewhere in the mall next year."

"Why don't you just go back to your parents? Do you have any idea how much they miss—Sergio's."

I already know what he's going to say, but I let him continue anyway. "What about it?"

"You shot out of the restaurant. Then I saw a man in the parking lot. Was that your father?"

I close my eyes then inhale deeply through my nose before I open them to face him again. "Yes. That was him. I'm actually surprised they're still together. They fought like crazy when I was there."

"How did you survive throughout all these years? You were only…" he quickly does the math in his head. "You were _seven_ when you disappeared."

"Okay, I didn't disappear. Obviously, I'm here. I ran away."

"Darling, that doesn't really matter at this moment."

I relax just the tiniest but when he calls me "darling". I'm happy that this little bit (huge) bit of news hasn't lost me that title. "My IQ level is one-forty-five, maybe a little bit over."

Again, his eyes widen. "Really?"

I shake my head yes.

"That's… really impressive."

I shrug. "I guess. I was always reading books and doing math while my parents were arguing. When I figured out there was a library down the street from my house, I'd slip out of the house and go there to read. Do you know how many science books they had in stock? I swear, Chemistry never appeals to me so much until I was six."

I get the same stare as before. _Harry Potter ingayo? Animyeon iljong-ingayo? Naneun geuege baem eon-eoleul malhago issneunga? **{Is this Harry Potter or some sort? Am I speaking a snake language to him?}**_

After a minute, I look down at my hand and carefully ask my question. "So what are going to do now? I doubt you'll want to be in a relationship with a small plain sixteen-year-old fugitive."

It's been quite a few minutes since I said that. He hasn't said a single word, he's probably still trying to put this all together. Finally, he decides to say something. "You need to go back."

" _Ani-yo._ No, no. I will never go back. I don't need to experience that again."

"But shouldn't you think about your mom and dad? They must have gone insane when they realized you were gone."

"They didn't seem to pay any attention to me while they were at each other's throats."

"But nine _years_? You didn't see any ads about you or anything?"

"Yes, I saw thousands of those. They had them posted in four different cities including back in South Korea. I was always in the newspaper."

"They must've paid more than thousands of dollars to search for you. Why would you do that to them?"

"I hate them. They were rude and annoying. Do you realize my mother smashed my replica of the human skeleton that I worked on for five days? She threw it at my father's head! I did that from memory too."

"How will they know that it's hurts you if you don't tell them yourself?"

"They were under enough stress. They didn't have time for my problems. Look, I didn't tell you so you could try and convince me to go back. I told you because I need to be honest with you. I refuse to see them again."

"Myung-hee, this is going to destroy you."

"I'm doing perfectly fine without them."

"I watched you break down in tears in the car on our first date!"

"I don't need them!" I look around, realizing I said that a bit too loud. I get up from my seat and push my chair in. "Anyway, that's all you needed to know. Thank you for listening. I should get going."

"Myung-hee, please don't leave."

"No. I shouldn't have said anything. I should've just walked away after that interview. I have another one to do tomorrow. I should get to work." I walk towards the bathroom and go for the last stall. I grab my shoulder bag from the hook behind the door and sling it over my shoulder. I exit the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Tom says, appearing next to door.

I ignore him and continue making my way towards the exit. "I have questions to put together. I don't want to be stuck with work in the morning."

He follows behind me. "I can help you." His fingers only graze my hands before I yank it out of his reach.

"No." I say. "I'm fine. I've done interviews before." before I leave, I look at him once last time. "There's a reason why I don't trust people." My voice is shaky as I speak. "Don't expect me to break that habit." I leave the restaurant, Tom watching me from the glass. I wipe tears from my face as they fall.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

* **Patricia Velásquez** as Mrs. Ramirez.

* * *

 **Chapter XV: Do You Mind?**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I hated when I did that on last Friday. It's Wednesday, and I'm still beating myself up about it. Why did I walk away from Tom? What the hell did that solve? Nothing. It solved _nothing_. I should have talked it out with him. I could have at least _tried_ to convince him otherwise, or made a compromise with him, or _something._ Now it's been five days since either of us has heard from each other. I haven't spoken to him, and he hasn't spoken to me. That's how angry I was.

But… was it right to blow up at _him_ , of all people? He's been nothing but nice to me. He told me his feelings for me. He's taken me on romantic dates. He's called me beautiful. When did he do anything wrong? He's as sweet as he appears in the interviews and tabloids. It's not an act. He's _real._

He's real, and yet, I threw him away like that _just_ because he wanted to help me. But when did I say I needed help? When did I say I needed my parents? That I needed to go home? If I don't want to be found, he should have leave it that way. If he really wants to go on dates with me and to call me his girlfriend, he should expect that… shouldn't he?

Oh, who the hell knows anymore?

I sit in the class of the day; Drama. Just what I need. It's held in the auditorium since there's no classroom available for it. Our teacher sits on the stage, telling us about the importance of good diction and ignoring the perverted whispers of the teenage students. I sit further away from everyone, as always. I bring my feet up to my chest and wrap my arms around them, clasping my hands in the front. I try to listen to her, but I have got nothing but Tom Hiddleston on my mind, and _not_ in the good way.

The teacher looks at me and smiles. "Athena. How are you today?"

I let out a slightly tired sigh and stick out my arm, giving her a thumbs-up.

"I know for a fact you know how to talk. Let's try this again. How are you today?"

You just had to call on me. "I feel like crap, Mrs. Ramirez." I give her a fake smile.

"That's too bad. Come up here."

 _Eh?_ I raise an eyebrow. _I am not going up there with your crazy ass._

"Come on. I swear, I won't bite you. Get up. Come one."

 _"Naneun gang-ajiga aniya. **{I'm not a puppy.}** "_ I mumbled to myself.

Hesitant, I stand up. I button up my light blue denim jacket halfway on top of my chest and grab my bag. I move to the front of the auditorium, set my bag on a seat in the first row, and I am about to sit down when she stops me. I glare at her.

"Up here. Stand in front of me."

I stand up. _I yeoja. Geunyeoneun naega juggileul balanda. naneun geugeos-eul anda. **{This woman. She wants me to die. I know it.}**_ I stand in front of her, like she says.

"Face the audience."

I turn around and face the most attentive group of students you will ever meet. Or maybe they have woken up today because this is the first time I have ever done anything in this class.

"How about you say a little monologue for us? It could be anything. Anything at all. It just has to be more than four sentences."

"Like _what_? I don't exactly read monologues in my spare time."

"It could be from your favorite book, your favorite play, your favorite movie…" She waits for me to choose something.

I close my eyes and sigh. As soon as she said "movie." I had something in mind. I take a deep breath and look at my fellow (idiotic) classmates. "This is from my favorite movie, _War Horse_." I quietly clear my throat and push aside the twisting, turning feeling in my gut. I concentrate on the scene in my head and begin:

 _I don't doubt your qualifications, Albert, but the law is very clear about the proper age for soldering and your father's done what he had to do. You know. Thirty guineas isn't nearly enough to purchase a horse as fine as your Joey, I know that. But it's all I've got. Will you lease to me, Albert, to my own mount? I promise you, man to man, that I'll look after him as closely as you've done, I'll respect him and all the care you've taken with him. And if I can—I'll return him to your care._

I finish the monologue, and look down at the floor. I wait for someone to say something and break awkward silence.

All of a sudden, the sound of clapping fills the front of the auditorium. I look up, and all the students are smiling and clapping for me.

"You make me so… angry!"

I look back at Mrs. Ramirez, who is practically glaring at me. " _Where_ were you at the _Shakespeare_ _in Hollywood_ auditions?"

 _Avoiding you._ I blush. "I was practicing some songs. I forgot what day they were on."

"Mhm. Okay, you can go sit. Thank you very much for your confidence. And by the way, that was an excellent British accent."

I hurry back towards my bag and return to my seat. I was too nervous up there, I feel like l'm going to throw up. I take a deep, slow breaths. I look around the auditorium to make sure no other students were here to see that. I'm safe, up until I look at the doorway, and my eyes widen.

Tom is standing in the doorway, half-smiling nervously and gazing at me.

My heart jumps up to my throat and back. I look at the orange string hanging from his neck, and it's a visitor's pass. He must have went to the office first. _O ani-yo. **{Oh no.}**_

 _"Hi."_ He mouths out softly.

I see him, but I don't respond. My anger towards him rises, and I don't feel like talking to him. Everything I spent this entire class thinking about is wiped away with the sight of him. I keep my eyes on Mrs. Ramirez until the bell rings.

Unfortunately for me, the bell rings five minutes after that.

I stay in my seat and wait for everyone to leave. I'm always the last one to leave. So I let everyone out first. I quickly pull my earphones out of my bag and plug them into my ears, then into my phone. I choose Lee Sun-hee and choose my favorite song, _Fate._ I raise the volume I can hear absolutely nothing but music. The song is very sad but beautiful and poetic. The sound mixture of ancient Korean orchestra background and Sun-hee's voice makes my soul go relax and calm. But somehow, this song reminds me of my relationship with _him._ I brush that thought as I get up, grab my bag, and walk out of the auditorium, completely ignoring Tom.

I'm heading down the hall and nearly to the exit and I feel my wrist being grabbed and pulled back. I stumble backward and look back.

Tom looks at me, saying words that I'm glad I can't hear nor understand.

I try to pull my wrist back, but he's got a good grip on it. I take an earphone out of my ear. "Do you _mind_? I do get hungry."

"And I will be more than happy to buy you something to eat, but first-"

"What, now that you know I'm almost poor, you'll be more than happy to buy me food? No."

"I would have done it anyway, no matter how much you have on you. I just want to talk."

"About _what_? About how I trusted you, and was honest with you? How I thought you could keep it a secret? Or about how you're ready to turn me in after nine years of hard work? We were only on our second date. I should have waited to tell you. My apologies." I begin to walk away, but he pulls me back again. I sighed deeply and turn to him again. " _Eom-ma-ya, **{My God,}**_ will you stop that?"

"No. Why would I? Whatever it's my turn to give my input, you decided to walk away."

"Because I don't want to hear this."

"Because the only word _right_ in your mind is yours. Is that right?"

I shut myself up right there. _Mapsosa. Majseubnida. Naneun geuege gyeolko malhal gihoeleuljuji moshaessda. **{Oh my God. He's right. I never gave him a chance to speak.}**_ " _Eom-ma-ya. **{Oh my god.}**_ I'm such a jerk. I'm a self-centered jerk." I turn myself and walk away slowly, hoping that would at _least_ hold him off long enough to let me _escape._

He rushes forward and steps in front of me, stopping me from going any further. "No you are not. Please, let's just talk about Friday. If you don't want to see me anymore after that, I will respect your wishes and never speak to you again."

I consider his offer. _I il-eul jigeum dangjang kkeutnaeji anh-eumyeon gyesog jug-il geos-ibnida. **{If I don't get this over with now, it'll just continue to kill me.}** Naneun jigeum dangjang geuleohge hal su eobsda. **{I really can't let that happen right now.}**_ Finally, I decide I wanted to talk. "I want Korean's BBQ Grill. It's down the street."

He smiles. "Then I shall get you Korean's BBQ Grill. Let's go."

We leave the school, and I can't stop staring at his hand the entire time. I want to hold it, to stop being mad at him, but it's hardly ever that easy for me. I regret bringing him to restaurant. I wish I hadn't told him a single thing. It was a mistake. It was stupid. Oh how I wish I can undo it. Why can't life have a redo button?

We arrive at Korean's BBQ Grill about five minutes later. It's been a long time since I haven't eaten my native Korean food gourmet. Tom takes off his coat and holds his hand out for mine.

I just nod my head and go to the counter. "You can get the special. _Bulgogi **{Marinated Beef Barbecue},**_ _Kimchi **{Fermented Vegetable}**_ and two iced tea.

"You can get whatever you want. I already ate." He slides his hands into his jean pockets.

" _Araso. **{Alright.}**_ More for me." I shouldn't be treating him like this, but he can't expect me to be nice after he lost my trust. Then again, he didn't have much of it in the first place. Therefore, he didn't lose from me except that part a little bit.

After I give in my order, Tom pays while I go to sit at a table in the back. It's not long before he finally joins. He takes the seat across from me.

I don't put my bag down or anything. I'm not comfortable with this, so why should I pretend to be?

He takes a deep breath. He thinks for a second. "That was a very good monologue you did in there." He says. "I didn't know you were a fan of War Horse."

"Well, I'm a fan of a lot of things. I don't think we came here to talk about the Captain Nicholls monologue. I'm sorry if I'm wrong, though." I lean back in my seat.

"No, no. You're not wrong. I just… I want to know _why_ you wouldn't want me to give your parents a call."

"Because they get on my nerves, they focus on nothing but fighting with each other, and whenever I was in the room was when they fought the most. My father was a workaholic, my mother was _nearing_ alcoholic, and they didn't even realize the number of times I've left the house by myself. That's basically the summary."

"And that doesn't bother you? It doesn't bother you to know that there are two worried parents just waiting for the day that their daughter comes home at last?"

No. it hasn't bothered me before, and it's not bothering me now."

"Yes, but you are sixteen. You shouldn't _have_ to live your own. Your parents should be helping to support you. Do you realize you can't get a job to support yourself because there's information your parents have that you probably don't?"

"Why are you playing therapist with me? I'm not going to my parents. I have my reasons. That should be enough. Is the reward enough for you?"

"I'm sorry?" he says, surprised.

"The money. Its seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to anyone who brings me to them. If it's money you want, I'll get it to you. Just give me some time."

One of the servers come up to the table with one rectangular plate of twelve cutted barbecue pieces, one dark bowl of Kimchi and a large glass of iced green tea. He sets it on the table.

 _"Gomabseubnida, **{Thank you,}** "_ I tell him with a small wisp smile as the male server smiled in return then bowed respectfully. I took one paper wrapped dark chopsticks, removed it and used the chopsticks to pick up a slice of barbecue and take a bite.

"I don't want money. That's the last thing I need right now. Myung-hee, I really care about you. You have no idea. I just don't want you to end up hurting over this."

"No. You just don't want yourself to get arrested so the paparazzi don't have another to pick at."

"No one can care about you without there being a catch. Is that how it works? Darling, please tell me. I need to know this."

I took a glass of iced green tea and slowly drink it. "You don't need to know anything but the fact that I trusted you with that information, and immediately started talking about going to the police. If I wanted to be found, don't you think I would have went home years ago? I told you because I didn't want to start any relationship with a secret as big as this. At no point did I intend on having you bring me to the police."

"Well, honestly, maybe it should be. It would be the right thing to do."

"Yes, I did have a tendency to make bad choices. I'm used to it." I feel a small pressure in my threatening to increase. I can't cry now. I'm tired of showing him my tears.

He stares at me, his blue-green eyes containing a bit of sadness.

Why is he still trying? The game is over. I'm not going back to my parents, and I'm not letting him convince me to.

"There's one more thing." He says. No matter how badly I've been treating him, his voice remains kind and calm, and it only makes me feel guilty that much more.

I took a second piece of the barbecue before I let it move towards my slightly open mouth. "What?" I say while I'm still holding my piece of barbecue with the chopstick in front of me.

He looks as if he's suddenly became nervous. Is what he wants to say risky? Important? Dangerous? He looks down at the table, taking a moment before looking up at me again. "Can you at least come to live with me?"

I let go of the piece of barbecue from my chopstick, not caring where it lands as I stare at him, eyes widen. "Excuse me?"

"Live with me. I bought a nice house up _north_ of the city a little while after I got here. It's already filled and decorated, and there's an extra room. I would like you to take it."

 _Geuneun daleun eon-eoleul sayonghago issseubnikka? Naega geu salam mal-eul deul-eoss ni? **{Is he speaking another language? Did I hear him right?}** Naneun geuege hwaganassda. Naneun geuege mulyehada… naega yeogiseo mwonga nohchingeoya? **{I'm mad at him. I'm being disrespectful towards him… am I missing something here?}**_ "Did we not go over the fact that I ran away? Do you realize how much trouble you would be in?"

"For the first time in my life, I don't really care about."

"They'll think you kidnapped me or worse! I don't know if you will go to jail because I'm not exactly majoring in law, but that will be something serious for you."

"I don't care."

"And you're willing to go to jail if you have to do? You're really ready to take that risk?"

"I will take any risk for _you_."

That sentence hits me in the chest. I can't believe he would risk everything for me. Tom Hiddleston is willing to get himself into trouble… for _me,_ of all people. Why would he do that? That's so stupid. He has a great reputation going for him. Great roles, amazing personality, and fans that love him. How is he, all of a sudden, ready to risk losing that?

"If I can't persuade you to make the right decision here, let me at least care for you during my stay."

Why? So you can tell the press how you cared for a homeless teenager, saving her from her struggles of survival on her own? ... _Uwa. **{Wow.}** Naneun igeos-e neungsughada. Naneun geudeul jasin-ege malhaeyahanda. **{I'm good at this. I should tell them myself.}**_ " _Wae… **{Why…}**_ Why? Have I not been doing well on my own? I have been out for nine years. _Nine._ I'm obviously having no problems."

"Yes, but I care about. I can't go home every day, knowing you don't have a home. I can't order food for myself, knowing you're waiting for a good meal to come along. Tell me: before I took you to Chili's, when was the last time you had a good meal like that?"

I think about that for too long. I don't recall having anything better than four chicken tacos, a chocolate molten lava cake with strawberry filling, and a tall glass of Coke. "I would say the school lunches, but anyone can do better than that."

He gives me a 'my point exactly' look. "And I, especially, have not been able to sleep in my bed with the thought of you sleeping in a bathroom stall. And I can't-"

" _Araso! **{Alright!}**_ Fine! You have made your point! _Juseyo. **{Please.}**_ Please stop."

He smiles widely, amused by my reaction.

I can't keep a serious face with that smile. I started to laugh softly.

"So, how about it?" He sets his hand on the center of the table, palming up, expecting me to place my hand there.

I stare at his hand and consider his offer. Will this be a good idea? Will being under the roof make me feel better? And it will be with Tom. Tom Hiddleston, my celebrity crush and the man that wants to be with me, I don't know. But he does. And he wants me to live with him. Do I take it? Do I turn it down?

 _What should I do?_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 _ **Minor Characters in the Story:**_

 ***Robert Blanche** as Mr. Ferucci

* **Tyler James William** s as Eric

* * *

 **Chapter XVI: Just Stop It.**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

I sit in the bathroom stall, staring at the closed. I have lived in here quite a long time. It might sounds strange, but I've grown an attachment to it. This is the place I have come to every night. If this wasn't available, I would have practically nothing.

"Alyssa." Mr. Ferucci says from the bathroom door. "Come on. Get out."

"It's Athena, Mr. Ferucci."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is." I hear the door close, and I know he's gone.

I lift myself up off the floor, holding the brand new bag Marilyn was _dying_ to buy for me. I open up the stall and walked out. I exit the bathroom.

"I got all your stuff out of the trunk already." Eric says while busting a table.

"Thank you." I go to him and give him a hug.

He gives me a friendly kiss on the top of my head and goes back to work.

I leave the restaurant, letting the door fall closed behind me.

The air outside is still. The sun is just beginning to set, but it's not in the beautiful colors I saw with Tom. The sky is just a plain shade of blue, only a bit more dull.

I walked forward, my feet set on automatic. I'm not paying attention. I'm letting my body walk for now.

A car door is held open for me, and I just slide in. it's the passenger's seat, but does that really matter? I pull the door closed and buckle my seatbelt. I close my eyes and let my head fall back onto the head rest. I listen as the driver opens up and closes. One small click, and the car comes to life. I let out a soft sigh. I open my eyes and look to my left, right into Tom's right. "Alright. Let's do this."

He smiles and drives away from the place I might as well have called home…

It's a twenty minute drive when we, finally, pull to a rather large house surrounded by trees. I've seen this house many times before. The people who owned it before Tom were horrible people. No one visited him, and if you dared to trick-or-threat there, you would have to be ready for a string of insults about 'how much kids resemble beggars.' And 'Where'd you buy that? It looks like you fished it out of a river and dried it.' Thank God, there's a nicer man here now.

Tom turns off the car and gets out.

I hesitate before doing the same. I still don't think this is such a good idea. _Why in the world did I agree to this? Was it because I was tired? Did he catch me at a time when I had a bit of bad judgment? By the way, what made him think he could just come into the school and get me? Is he out of his mind? He's lucky no one's usually in front of the school. Actually, no. not lucky. If he ended up ambushed by screaming fangirls, I could have escaped and avoided this. I went sixteen years without in my life. Who says I will need him a few more years? I mean—_

"Myung-hee, are you coming?

I look up; Tom's already at his front door. I close the car door and make my way up to the house.

He let us both in, and the inside is… intensely beautiful. It's the house you see in movies, the ones with the huge staircase going in half a spiral. The walls are painted in a cream color, line with dark brown wood. The beige carpeting, I know for a fact, was put in by Tom. I have snuck in here a couple of times, and the floors were always black-and-white checker tiles, the ugliest design in the house. There was no marble, no platinum; it was all just carpets and wood. "Oh, this place would definitely survive a fire." I say a bit sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't build the house. I simply live in it. And now, so do you."

"Please don't remind me."

He rolls his eyes. "Darling, why are you being so negative about this? You finally get an actual bed, a heat, and food you don't have to save money for over a long period of time."

"The Apple store had heat. And impressive computers."

He comes up to me and takes my hands in his. Despite all of this hard situation I still don't mind being with him. I really want to be with him, and I wonder if he does too, or if this is a pity relationship _. Uwa,_ **_{Wow,}_** that would really suck. "I will buy you all the Macbooks, all the iPods, all the Apple products in the world, I just want you to be happy. I don't know if you like this right away, but can you at least try? Please?"

And there it is. His innocent puppy face. " _Geuman. **{Stop that.}** "_ I say.

"Pardon?" he says, with a slight confusion of my native language yet not changing his face a bit.

"I said, 'stop that'."

"Stop what?" he says, still not changing his innocent puppy face.

"That, that pleading face. Just stop it. It's… it's cute."

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." His sentence smells of something mischievous. He knows I would fall for it.

Normally, I would refuse to go down without a fight. But this is Tom Hiddleston, and he's making the cutest face I have ever seen a man could make. How can I easily say no to him? "Fine. Fine! Just _please stop_ doing that. It's not fair."

He smiles and kisses me on the cheek. "I'll go get your clothes. It was nice of Marilyn to do that for you." He walks out of the door.

"Wasn't it, though?" I say, even though I know it was too late for him to hear. I look around the room and sigh.

 _Naneun mueos-e ppajige doeeossneunga? **{What have I gotten myself into?}**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

 **Chapter XVII: Why In The World did I Move Here?**

 **~o~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **~o~**

 _I promise you. When this moment passes by. And we see each other on that day. I will throw everything away and stand beside you. So that we can walk the path that's left for us. This is what we call 'Fate'. It's something we can't deny. Will I ever experience a beautiful day like this again in my life? You are a gift on this exhausting path of life. I'll always wash and shine this love. So that it won't rust away._

 _Fate_ by Lee Sun-hee plays again as my favorite song on my brand new speakers. A gift from Tom. I've connected them to my new _pink cherry blossom_ covered Macbook. A gift from Tom. Next to it sits my iPhone 5 in its silver light pink-designed case. A gift from Tom.

Too many gifts from Tom.

I have been here a week, and already he's bought me three expensive gifts. And earrings. And beautiful clothes. Well, he gave the money to Scarlett Johansson and _she_ brought it to me (by the way, one of best days of my life). It's too much! I didn't ask for nice things. I don't want them. But didn't want to say no, either. I took them, but I need to stop him before I ended up with silk bed sheets from China.

The house alarm beeps, and I hear the front door being closed. Keys rattle, probably locking the door.

After a minute, Tom comes into the kitchen with a bag of Chinese food in his hands. "Not a very close restaurant." He says.

"Well, you only picked the most isolated house in Stamford." I reply. I clicked my pen closed and push my notebook to the far end of the table.

"I didn't move away from a city to move back _into_ one." He sets the bag on the table, then slips out of his jacket. He hangs it on the chair.

By the time he sits down, I've already got forks, two cups and the bottle of soda from the fridge. "Here" I say, handing him a cup.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me down to his lips. He gives me a sweet, loving kiss, then pulls away. "Hello, darling." He says with a smile.

I smiled back. "Hello. You know, most couples kiss like this because they've been gone for hours. At least, that's what I see in movies and most in Korean dramas."

"That's what it felt like without you. Hours. And I just wanted to kiss you again."

I give him one more soft kiss. "Good thing I don't have a problem with that." I move to the other side of the table and take a seat across from him. I'm still getting used to this whole 'romantic' thing. He does it all. I still think it's kind of stupid, but it looks like I'm just going to have to put up with it.

As I begin eating, I let my mind wander someplace else. I'm not mad at him anymore for what happened at Remo's. He didn't do anything, so I'm still good for now. I forgive him for that. I'm a little bit used to living here now. I mean, why should I be afraid? How many girls around my age, _fans_ , can say they accepted an offer to live with Tom Hiddleston, the best man anyone will ever meet? I spent a good half hour freaking out over that… okay, fine. Hour and a half. But that was it.

Now that I'm over those facts, there's only thing for me to accept: I'm living in an actual house, with an actual heat, and I don't have to sleep somewhere that smells depressing.

"What are you thinking about?" Tom says.

I blink myself back to reality. I look at Tom, then at my food. "I just… don't know how to take this in."

"Take what in?" He takes a sip of his soda.

I hold my hand out to the, gesturing to the house itself. " _This_. All of this. The beautiful house, the huge bedrooms, the warm blankets in the living room, the kitchen that's always filled with food that I don't have to worry about a big Italian jerk catching me in. I'm living in a real house for once. Not a bathroom. Not a dressing room. Not a taxi. A real house."

"Is not this simpler?" He says. The tone of his voice is the tone of Loki Laufeyson's voice himself. "Is this not your natural state?"

I smile. "The avengers? Really?" I throw a french fry at him.

He laughs and returns to eating.

When we're finished, I put the forks and cups in the sink. _Naneun geudeul-eul najung-e ssis-eo beolilgeoya. Naneun jamsi dong-an ilg-eul pil-yogaissda._ **_{I'll wash those later. I need to read for a while.}_** "Okay. My homework's finished. My story can wait for a while. I think I'm going to go find a book or something."

"Oh." He says, a bit disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I was hoping we could spend a little bit of our time together. We could watch a movie or something."

 _That would be nice._ Now that I think about it. I haven't really spent time with Tom since I moved in with him. I have been so busy adjusting to my new kind of life that I'm not paying attention to him. I feel pretty bad for him. I mean, I can sacrifice for today, right? "What movie?" I tilt my head in curiosity.

"Anything. We've got plenty of them in the cabinet. You can pick something."

I leave the kitchen and head straight to the living room, hoping he is following me and I didn't get abandon him in the kitchen. I go to the 'entertainment center' (That's what Tom refers it to) and open up the door on the left. I scan through the movies. "These are all Marvel movies." I say.

"Well, the ones in this cabinet are. I wanted to brush up on all of the movies. The other ones don't have Marvel movies in them."

I reach for another one of the doors, then freeze immediately. A bunch of math equations flood in my head, and I completed all of them. It all brings me to a conclusion I forgot to take into account. "Why in the world did I move here?"

Tom looks at me, confused. "What do you mean? Because you agreed to it."

"Yes, but I shouldn't have. I didn't realize one very important thing."

"What?"

"How about the fact that you're leaving in _two days_?"

"Alright, before you go any further-"

"I moved in just so I can spent a week and two days under a lovely roof? Did you even remember that you're not living here forever? What the hell?"

"Myung-hee, give me one second-"

Tears begin to ball up in my throat as I realize it's not losing the house that I'm worried about. It's losing _him_. "What's the purpose of me getting used to this? I'm going to have to leave as soon as _you_ leave, maybe even earlier. You're probably going to sell the house after you're gone." Then I somehow started to speak in my native language for an unknown reason, maybe it's because of my intense emotions that I have right now. " _Eom-ma-ya, **{Oh my god,}**_ _Naneun jayu gong-gan-eul wihae Stamfordleul dulleo bwaya hae. **{I have to look around Stamford for a free space.}**_ _Naneun-i modeun osdeul-eul eotteohge hal geos-inga? **{What am I going to do with all of these clothes?}** Naneun geudeul-eul dul gos-i eobsda. Naneun geudeul-eul pal su issdago saeng-gaghanda- **{I won't have anywhere to put them. I mean I guess I could sell them-}"**_

He shuts my mouth with a kiss, a good way to shut me up.

Tears began to spill from my eyes as he kisses me. I've grown an attachment towards him. I hate growing attachments to things and people, and this is why. They all eventually disappear from me. I don't care if I can't live here anymore. I don't mind going back to the streets, surviving rather than living. It's him I can't lose. He's made me so much happier.

He pulls away and wipes the tears from my face. "Please don't cry."

"What else am I supposed to do? You're going away. I have to stay here. I don't want money, or a beautiful house. Or expensive stuff. I… I need you."

"Darling, I'm here now. I'm right here, with you."

"Maybe you are now, but in a couple of days you won't be. What will I do when you're gone? Do you realize since I met you, I can't even remember the days I have wanted to kill myself? Call me insane, call me sick, I don't care, but I used to cut myself because I had nothing. I couldn't go back to my parents. They used to tell me that if I ever ran away, they would hunt me down, bring me home, and ground me until they found someone to marry me."

Tom's expression was apologetic as he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly against him.

I bury my face in his chest and sob quietly.

"Myung-hee, I am so sorry." He says with his soft voice. "A reason I did this so you could see how going back to your parents would be good. I knew it wouldn't be forever."

"So you did this just to break my heart even more? What do you plan on doing with me when you _leave_? _If_ you were even planning something?"

I felt him shrug. "Well, I was going to have you live in a nice hotel room, or a small apartment. I would pay for it, rent and all, and we could live there together every time I could come to see you. It would be near your school so you wouldn't have to walk far."

"I don't give a _damn_ how far the apartment is!" I push him back with anger that I have never did so much in my life. "I-I knew I shouldn't have gotten serious with you! I should have kept it as a friendship… _Mapsosa **{My God}** ,_ you're a celebrity! I should have seen this from the start. I _even_ told myself. 'Don't do this. You won't like the outcome.' Did I listen? No! An IQ level like mine shouldn't do that and I was still stupid enough to do this to myself!"

He stands there, listen, visibly breaking at every word I say. But am I breaking his heart? How do I know this isn't a game? He invited me to live with him, _knowing_ he had to leave soon. He would nearly turned me in to the police, or to my parents. It all comes down to one thing, one problem I have always had with everyone.

I can't trust him.

Not sure what to do anymore, I run out of the living room and up the steps, tears now an uncontrollable mess. I'm acting like a child, but I think this is a good time to say… I don't give a _damn_.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena"_ Myung-hee Park

 ***Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

* * *

 **Chapter XVIII: Please… Stay…**

 **~o~**

 **.**

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 **~o~**

I reach under my bed and pull out a box of black trash bags. I pull out one, open it up and moved it towards my dresser. I pull the top drawer open and take our clothes by the handful, dropping them into the bag. I do this with flaming anger, not being able to think of anything but what am I going to do now? Ama maesachusecheuleul siheomhae bwaya gessji. **_{Maybe I should try out Massachusetts.}_** _dosi jung hana naneun an-e meomulgoissneun manh-eun binjib-eul gajigo iss-eossda. **{One of the cities there had a lot of empty houses I stayed in.}** Ganeunim, naneun igeos-i il-eonal geos-eul al-assseubnida. naneun igeos-eul cheoeumbuteo gidaehaessda. **{God, I knew this was going to happen. I expected this from the start.}** Naneun geudeul-i yeoseong-e gwanhae malhaneun geos-i majdago saeng-gaghanda. **{I guess what they say about women is right.}** Geudeul-eun neomu ppalli butseubnida. Jeog-eodo salamdeul-i jeoege malhaessdeon geos-ibnida. **{They get attached too quickly. At least, that's what people used to tell me.}** Naneun neomu eoli seogda. **{I am so unbelievably stupid.}**_

There's a knock on the door in my room. "Myung-hee." Tom says softly.

I stay quiet. If I ignore him long enough, maybe he will leave. I open the next drawer and stuff those clothes in too.

He knocks again. "Darling, please answer me. We need to talk."

More silence from me. _Why do we need to talk? What is there to talk about? He's going to leave me behind and return to his world of sexy, rich women and high-class dining and stuff like that, and I'm going back to sitting outside of McDonald's waiting for the day someone drops a five dollar or cent in my lap. Not to mention, I will be lonely and broken-hearted with Miss I'm-Always-Freaking-Smiling Marilyn._

"Myung-hee, please let me speak to you. Give me a chance to explain myself."

Annoyed, I made a deep sigh and I drop my bag where I stand. I storm towards the door, unlock it up halfway. "What?" I say.

"Let us talk." He says, his face is apologetic as I can see.

"So talk."

"Can I come in?"

"No."

Those eyes, those goddamn eyes are knit together with concern and sadness. He just stares at me, no words coming out of his mouth.

"If you're not going to say anything…" I begin to close my door.

He quickly presses his hand to it, holding it open. "Just let me come in. if you want, I won't kiss you or hug you. I won't even touch you."

I narrow my eyes at him. _Geuga nae jim-eul banghaehaji anhneun han. **{As long as he doesn't interrupt my packing.}**_ I push the door all the way open and walk back towards the dresser. I picked up the bag and continue my packing.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Packing." I slam the drawer closed and open the last one. I crouch down and pull out my clothes.

"With trash bags?"

I turn to look at him. "Well, it's not like I own a lot of nice suitcases." I finish off the last of the drawer and tie the bag closed. I stand up straight and move towards the bed. I toss the bag on it and talk out another one, then move to my closet. I pull the door open and step inside. Before I could continue, I turn around to face Tom. "Do you have something to say, or are you just going to watch me pack up?"

"I'm sorry." He says.

"No, you're not." I rip some clothes off the hangers and stuff them into the bag. "You're not sorry because I'm sure you're still going to end up leaving. You're still going to pack up your things – or maybe you won't. I don't know. Maybe you will just leave your ass here. But you're still going to catch your flight out of this goddamn place."

"But you're acting as if I'm not coming back."

"Because you _won't._ I know you won't. LA is filled with a nearly _infinite_ amount of beautiful women. I mean, I remember seeing your ex, Susannah, in the tabloids. The woman was gorgeous, a hell of a lot prettier than me. If she exists, then there are women as pretty as her. And you will find one of them, and fall in love, and completely forget the sixteen-year-old girl who is nothing in Stamford."

"So, that's the real fear here."

"What?" I started grabbing the things off the little shelves that hold hats and scarves.

"Losing me."

I stay quiet. I admitted it already, but I'm not saying it straight out. I know it's going to make me cry, and the last thing I need right now is to break down in front of him. "What? You couldn't figure that out downstairs? Too busy thinking about what hotel to drop me at before you leave?"

"I wasn't going to do it that way and you know it."

"Do I know it?" I stop packing and turn myself to face him. "I _knew_ my parents were going to stop fighting. I _knew_ I was going to continue my life without a single soul to recognize who I am. As you can see, I have been wrong before."

"But you _know_ I care for you. You _know_ I can't upset you without feeling guilty."

"Can you stop telling me on what I know?!" I yelled.

He stops talking.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I…" I take a deep breath. "Just, just _please_ let me finish packing. I have only got two days." I tie up the bag, toss it on the bed, grabbed another one, and headed for the desk. I have about twenty notebooks now, and a few pencil cases filled with pens, pencils, etc.

Just when I thought he had finally left, he speaks again with a softer tone. "I'm not going to forget about you."

I stay silent as I pick up the notebooks two by two and slide them into the bag.

"You aren't nothing." He sounds closer this time.

I slide the pencil cases in and turn around, and nearly stumble back into the dresser as I find my face a few inches away from Tom's.

"I've already fallen in love with you."

"Get away from me, please." I say with my shaking voice. I slowly turn myself turn back into the desk, gaining much distance from him as currently as possible.

"I'm in love with you."

" _Ani-yo. **{No.}**_ You're not. You can't be. There's nothing about me to love. Please go away."

"I've stopped telling you what you know, so stop telling me what I do and don't love. I love you."

I don't believe you. Back away."

"Please, Myung-hee. I will sit at the top of Mt. Everest and scream it over and over until you believe me. I have been nothing but honest with you. You have to believe me."

"I don't. Get _away_ from me."

"Please." He moves his face closer to mine.

I pull my head back. "Don't you dare." I avoid his gaze as much as possible and look for a way out of this.

He moves his arms around me and holds me where I am.

"Let go of me, Tom." I try to push his arms off, and nothing works. He's clasped his hands behind me. "Get the hell away from me. Let me go!" I push at his shoulder, his chest, anything that might get him off. "Let go of me! Leave me alone!" I suddenly speak in my native words again and start hitting his chest with my fists, not caring if he understands my words. _"Naneun naebeolyeodwo! Jeoliga! Manjiji ma! Naelyeo! **{I said leave me alone! Get off of me! Don't touch me! Get off!}** "_ I beat at his chest with as much force as I needed.

It's not long before I 'm lashing at him with my nails and my fists. I know it's causing him pain because he flinches every time I do it, but it's not enough for him to release me. He just hugs tighter to him.

"Get your arms off of me!" I scream, I scratch at them. "Damn you, Tom! Damn you! _Nan neoga silh-eo!_ I hate you!" My anger brings tears to my eyes that immediately spills down from my cheeks. "I hate you!" I repeat it over and over again, but they become slower as more tears flowing from my eyes. I'm drained of life and energy, my fight has become weaker and weaker. "I hate you… I… I _really_ hate you…" Finally, I give up fighting and collapse in his arms. I bury my face in his chest, sobbing loudly.

He hugs me close to him, kissing my head and stroking my hair with his hand. He slowly moves down to the floor and sits down, pulling me into his lap.

The truth is: I didn't want him let go. His embrace was what I needed, but I was afraid it would make things worse. It would just give me another reason to cry when he's gone. " _Jusipsiyo…_ Please don't leave me." I say, my voice barely a whisper. "I… I-I need you. I need you here… with me."

"I know you want me to stay." He says softly. "I'm sorry, Myung-hee. I'm so sorry."

I grip his shirt tighter, never wanting to let go. "I never thought… I have been happy with my life again. Then you… you showed up and… I don't know. I started feeling better. You can't, you can't leave me. You can't. Please… stay…"

"I have to go back. I would love to stat, I really would, but everything is over there. My friends, my belongings, even my money. It's all there at home. I can't just leave it."

I can't say anything else. I know moving is not the easiest thing in the world, especially if it's away from your friends, so I can't tell him to bring it all here. I don't say anything else. I just stay there, in his lap, holding onto the only important thing in my life besides living.

Tom is gone in a couple of days, and nothing I say will stop him.

"I love you." Tom kisses the top of my head.

I thought about it with those words. _We haven't known each other long enough. Have we? Eungdabhaeyahabnikka? Ani-yo, **{Should I respond? No,}** maybe… maybe it will end up changing the future. Or maybe he really does love me. Could it be true?_

"I don't care if you say it back or not." He says, practically reading my mind. "I love you."

I look up at him. He gazes at me, and I know he's not lying. But would I be if I told him I loved him? I move my head again, my forehead pressing against his chest. I finally make my decision and before I have a chance to say it, I begin to drift into sleep, recharging after this tearful disaster.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Main Characters in the Story:**_

* **Kim So Hyun** as _"Athena_ " Myung-hee Park

* **Tom Hiddleston** as Himself

 ** _Minor Characters in the Story:_**

* **Reggie Lee** as the Limo Driver

* * *

 **Chapter XIX: Do You Have Everything?**

 **~o~**

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 **~o~**

I stay on my side, my back pressed against the wall. I have been laying in this bed for the last couple of days. I woke up here two days ago, and I was too tired to even find out where I was. It wasn't till about time yesterday that Tom told me it was his room.

Tom's room. This is been the first and last time I take a good look at it. It's bare. There's nothing here except the bed, its sheets, and a few suitcases. I guess it's better off that way. Why set up a wonderful bedroom when you will have to take it all down not too long after. It would make a beautiful room, though. A nice television, some nice, dark-colored wooden dressers, and a long body mirror on the closet door.

I would assume it's been bare since he bought the house, and bare it shall remain.

"Sweetheart?" Tom says, peering around the door.

I don't move, don't look up and most definitely don't respond.

He comes in anyway, leaving the door open as he made his way towards the bed. His face is a look of guilt. It's not as if he shouldn't be feeling that. Did he really thing this would take a good turn? "Sweetheart, are you going to speak to me?"

I sigh and slowly turn my head to look at him. "And say what? If there's nothing I can say to make you stay, what is there that's worth saying?"

"Myung-hee, this is a bit-"

"Childish? Yes, I know. I'm acting like a child. I mean _I am sixteen_ after all. It fits, doesn't it?"

"I was going to say unfair." He raises his eyebrows.

"Unfair to whom, exactly? To you?"

"Yes, because you act like I _wanted_ to leave, like I've been prepared to leave you behind. Do you think if I wanted to leave that I would be trying so hard to make the departure so easily?"

For some reason, I think back to the night I took the news so painfully hard.

 _"I love you." Tom kisses the top of my head._

 _I thought about it with those words. We haven't known each other long enough. Have we? Eungdabhaeyahabnikka? Ani-yo, **{Should I respond? No** ,} maybe… maybe it will end up changing the future. Or maybe he really does love me. Could it be true?_

 _"I don't care if you say it back or not." He says, practically reading my mind. "I'll love you."_

 _I look up at him. He gazes at me, and I know he's not lying. But would I be if I told him I loved him? I move my head again, my forehead pressing against his chest. I finally make my decision and before I have a chance to say it, I begin to drift into sleep, recharging after this tearful disaster._

I still wonder if my decision was a good choice. I was going to say, 'I know', but I passed out too quickly. Should I have said it back? No. I know what I'm doing. Right now, I'm not ready to tell him that especially judging by how upset I am. Will I ever get over this? Will I always be angry at him? Am I even angry? Could it be … I don't know. It couldn't be jealousy, could it? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course it's jealousy. How am I to compete with, like Taylor Swift or something?

"Can you stop thinking for a moment and actually speak to me, please?" he sits down next to me.

I carefully push myself up with weak arms and sit upright. I move over a little by little until I'm at his shoulder. I raise my hand at his cheek, turn his face towards me, and place a sweet, short kiss on his lips. "I am sorry."

"Don't do that. You're not the one who should be sorry."

"Yes, I am. I understand that you have to go back. You need to be around an area with auditions, and your friends, and you don't really have much of an easy choice. I should be trying to make this a little bit easier. Instead, I am just acting like a silly child."

"You are not acting like a child. You've obviously been hurt plenty of times in your life. You were starting to trust me, and I blew it away. I was trying to help, but I didn't do it the right way."

I rest my head on his shoulder. I slide my hand over his and intertwine our fingers. He shouldn't be taking any blame for this. Lashing out at him and being angry at him will not make him stay, and I would rather go through the pain of watching him leave than feel guilty about ignoring him when it's time for him to go. "Can you do me a favor?" I say softly.

"As you as you're not asking me to stay, I will do anything for you."

"Can you buy me a puppy?"

He laughs. "I'll buy you a bunch of them if you'd like."

I smile. "That's not it. When you get back, can you promise me that every day, and I don't care what time, you'll call me? Or go on FaceTime or whatever?"

"You don't have to ask me to promise you that. I'll do it anyway."

"Can you just say it then… please?" I lift my head to look at his face.

He looks at me and smiles. "I promise."

I kiss him one more time, then gaze into his eyes.

"I love you." He says.

 _Geuege malhae. Geuege malhae. Dasi malhaebwa. Malhae! **{Tell him. Tell him. Say it back. Say it!}**_ "I know." I reply. _Daleun geon, babo ya! **{The other thing, you idiot!}**_ "Do you need help packing anything?"

"Just a few more things." He gets up from the bed.

"Okay, good luck with that." I mess around with the pillow like I'm getting ready to lay down again.

He scoffs, hiding a smile in his fake offended expression.

I smile. "I'm just kidding. Lead the way." I threw the covers to the side.

We spent a few hours packing his silverware, his music, his DVDs and anything else that wasn't packed up yet. He told me his flight leaves at four-thirty, so we try to pack as quickly as possible. My heart breaks with every box we seal up. While taping one of those boxes, I work on convincing not to buy an apartment.

"Why not?" he says, stacking a few boxes by the door. "It'd be nice to visit my girlfriend in a hotel room rather than the bathroom at Remo's."

"Don't waste your money on it. It will be fine. Besides, I already have plans. There's no need for a permanent location."

"Are you sure?" he raises his eyebrows in concern. "I don't like the fact that your plans may include somewhere on the streets of Manhattan or something."

"No, no. Don't worry about it. It will be fine. That's all you need to know."

When he turns away with a disapproving shake of his head, the subject has obviously been dropped. Just like him, there's no way of changing my mind about my decision.

We finish up a couple of hours before his flight. We spend an hour and a half of it watching Fast & Furious, my back to Tom while he holds me from behind as we watch the movie. I'm nearly asleep when Tom slightly jolts. "We have to go," he says, his voice in alert. "I have half an hour to get there."

"The guys put your things in the truck already?" I ask him. Standing up and stretching.

"Yes, they were doing it while we were watching the movie. All your things are in the car, right?"

"Yeah. It's all done."

"Good. Can you meet me out there while I lock up the house?"

"Yeah, sure." I hurry to the door and pull on my pair of boots. I zip them up quickly and grab my dark navy blue french jacket. I pull it on, slipping my phone into my pocket. I grab my bag off the floor, the bag that went from containing a stolen clothing to containing a notebook, a pen, speakers and the laptop I'm slipping into it now (That's what Tom and I were watching the movie on screen). It's almost like a book bag now.

When I'm sure I'm all done, I exit the house and walk to the small black limousine parked outside. Tom apparently sold the car he had brought a day before my breakdown. He got more for it than it was worth, which is a _lot_ of money. I lean against the door and take a moment to scan over the house. It's huge, and beautiful, and little bit old, 1800s style, and this was the last day I had ever set foot in it. I mean, I could still set foot in it afterward, but I think the new owners would consider it trespassing and creepy.

A few minutes later, Tom is walking out of the house, locking the door behind him. A man, probably a husband and a father, of a family of ten takes the keys from Tom.

He puts them in his pocket, shakes Tom's hand, and walks to the car parked at the side of the house.

I get into the limo before Tom gets here, and it reminds me of the first time we met. The interior is the same and everything, and we're still on the same sides as before. Except now, when he gets into the car, I move into his side rather than squish myself against the door for safety. Those moments didn't happen long ago, but it feels like years since they happened. I guess that's how happy Tom has made me if I'm not even paying attention to the little things like time. Time _is_ little to me now. I don't feel the need to keep track of it anymore. With Tom Hiddleston in my life, I feel like I have all the time in the world.

He wraps his arm around me as the limo driver drives us down the road, the truck following behind us. Our destination: JFK in New York. I haven't been there since I was eleven. _Allehandeuloga ajig mun bakk-eulo naolji gung-geumhae. **{I wonder if Alejandro still performs outside the door.}**_

"Are you happy to be going back?" I ask him, resting my head on his chest.

"Eh, I've been away and back so many times, it's nothing special anymore. It's a little more painful this year, though."

 _Because of me. It's always me._

"What do you plan on doing after I get on that plane?"

"I plan on keeping my cellphone in my hand and waiting for the moment you call me to tell me you have landed."

"I meant where you're going."

" _Oh._ Right. Well, you don't have to worry about it. I plan on doing something important."

"Why won't you tell me?"

I smiled. "Because I'm not ready to tell you yet. It's going to have to wait, when's Anthony Hopkin's birthday?"

"December thirty-first."

"Oh really? That's my birthday." I let myself be a bit proud over that. "Hm. That's pretty cool. I share a birthday with Anthony Hopkins."

"Why do you ask?" Tom asks.

"Nothing. Just throwing you off."

He smiles and kisses the top of my head.

As I'm watching the cars and the sky pass by outside, I feel something moving underneath me. It's Tom's hand, probably looking for his cellphone. I move to the side to make it easier for him. Eventually, he pulls out a little blue velvet box and holds it out front of me.

"What is that?" I say, eyeing the box.

He reaches his other arm around and opens the box up, revealing a breath-taking silver infinity ring with a blue aquamarine heart shaped diamond on it. Any light coming in through the window glints off the gem, making it shine beautifully.

 _"Eom-ma-ya, **{Oh my god,}** "_ I say with a soft tone. I take the box into my hands and turn it side to side, studying the ring left and right. "This is such an intense ring. That must have cost a _fortune_."

"You like it, then." He says.

"Are you serious? It is such a beautiful ring. Any women would die to have it. Of course, I like it."

"Good, I bought it for you."

I looked at him for a moment then I gave him a sweet kiss. "Thank you so much. I love it."

"I would be happy to put it on you for a small price."

" _O Ileon. **{Oh God.}**_ There is someone else."

"What? No. that's not even close to it."

"Well, sorry. Usually I get a gift, then the giver says there's something else, I usually ended up insulted or disappointed. Like when I got the free pair of designer boots from the Burlington Coat Factory, and it turned out to be a departing gift since I was being kicked out-"

"Darling, can I get to the price so I can prove to you it's nothing bad?" A light smile sits on his lips.

I blush. "Sorry."

"It's no problem. Now, I made a promise to you. Can you do the same for me?"

"You gave me a stunning diamond shaped infinity ring, I can't even afford to look at. But um… yeah."

He takes the box from my hands. He stares at the ring as he speaks. "When I put this 'infinity' ring on you, can you be mine even when I'm not around? Can you trust me that no matter how far I am from you, or far you are from me, I will stay true to my word and never do anything to hurt you? Can I have a beautiful human being waiting for me to see her every time I come back?" He looks at me and gazes into my eyes.

I swear, in this moment, my heart stops beating. My lungs stop breathing. I couldn't have been on Earth anymore. Tom has brought me into heaven. I'm living in a dream I don't feel I deserve, but I'm getting tired of fighting it. The look in his eyes, the honesty in his voice; they made me realize that despite all the pressure I had to deal with in my life, no matter how many times I have been screwed over, I will never be able to trust anyone the way I trust Tom. He hasn't done anything wrong yet, and he seems to be serious about this. I have Tom Hiddleston in my life, and I am so happy not because (still kind of is) my favorite actor, but because he wants to treat me the way he thinks I should be treated. He wants to be here for the long run, and who am I to stop him?

I tearfully smile widely at him, a teeth-flashing smile I haven't given to _anyone_ in a long time. "I promise. I will always be at your side."

He smiles. He takes the ring out of its little square cushion. He takes my right hand and slides it onto my ring finger. "It's better to have it on this hand. I'm not sure we're quite ready for the left."

"You're telling me. I haven't even been to college yet." I move back into his arms and lay my head on his arm as it wraps around me. I watch the signs by the highway and realize the cities are now New York cities. Just then, a thought occurs to me. I don't know why it came up, but "Have we even _looked_ at the tabloids lately?"

He just shrugs. "Does it really matter? It's not like I was all over them before."

"Eh. It doesn't hurt to check, right?" I take out my cellphone.

"I suppose not."

I open up the browser and type in the _E!_ Website URL. When it finishes loading, I tap on the search box and type in 'Tom Hiddleston'. The results, I have to say, were a bit… unexpected. _Fifteen recent stories? Uwa, **{Wow,}** Tom's been up to a lot lately._ Unfortunately, when I scroll through the titles, they all seem to have something in common: They're all about Tom's new relationship.

"What did you find?" He says. Peeking at the screen.

"There's, um… there's a lot about us in here."

"Really? Can't be that much. We don't really show our relationship in public."

"Well, the times we were together in public seemed to be enough since there are fifteen of them. "I read one of the article titles. _'Tom Hiddleston, Sports A New Car… And A New Girl'_?"

Another shrug. "Don't think too much of it. Maybe that's the only one."

 _"Who is the Lucky Girl in the Avengers' Star's Arms?"_

"Still nothing to worry about."

 _"Tom Hiddleston's New Girl: Are Kat and Susannah's History Gone For Good?"_

"Okay, we have a problem."

"Oh, you're just catching on. nice." I close the browser out and set the phone down on my lap. "Well that's just… great."

"Don't worry about. They just need something good to post in celebrity news. It'll all blow over before you know it."

"What if someone asks about me? What if you're in an interview and they started asking about this _'New Girl'_?"

"Then I won't lie to them. I will them that I'm in love with the most beautiful specimen to ever walk on the planet, and I've never been so happy."

"I'm not the most beautiful girl on the planet, I'm not even-"

"Don't you say it. Don't you dare say it. I forbid you to say what you're about to say."

" _Araso, araso. **{Alright, alright.}**_ I won't say it… but you have to admit, there are women on the planet more beautiful than I am. Some of them are true knockouts."

"Not to me. You're the _fairest_ among them. _The fairest of them all._ "

"No, I am not like _Snow White._ I am-"

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't say it."

" _Ugh_ , you really don't like the truth, do you?"

"Actually, I'm not a big fan of lies, and right now, you are lying to yourself and me. You are _fairly_ beautiful, stunning and no other adjectives can describe you."

 _Well, I can think of quite a few, but I'm 'forbidden' to say them._ I trace circles on the back of his hand with my index finger and wait for our time together to come to an awful end.

~o~

"Do you have everything?" I ask Tom.

"Yes. They're all on the plane. At least, I hope they are. Come to think of it, I think…" He pats down his pockets. "I think I may have dropped my phone somewhere."

"Eh! Um, I'll go look for it. Do you remember where you last had it? Could you have dropped it by the door?" I'm about to run back to the entrance when Tom grabs my wrist.

He pulls me back to him with a smile on his face. "I was just kidding, love. I have everything."

I lightly and playfully punch him on the arm. "Not funny."

He leans down and kisses me. He's kissing me in public, around with people the spot where no one cares enough to judge. I mean, who cares about public display of affection less than people in airports? They're so focused on getting to the gates that, as long as you don't get in their way, they really don't give a damn.

"I have to admit." I say after I pull away. "I am finding it a little difficult to breathe."

"Why?" He asks.

"Because holding back tears is one of the harder things to do in a woman's life. And right now it ranks number one on my list of _Hard Things to Do_."

"I can think of something harder." He says with a smile.

It gave me a time to understand what he's referring to until I blushed a bit madly of knowing what his intentions are as I lightly punch him again, trying my best to hide my cringe and laughter while being playfully annoyed. " _Eo-ma-ya, **{Oh my god,}**_ Tom!"

"What?" he asks, laughing at my reaction. "I was going to say child birth."

"Yeah, of course you were. _I Ileon, **{Oh God,}**_ Tom."

"You're so cute when you speak in a dialectal mixture of Korean and English. It really suits you." He grins.

" _Dagchyeo. **{Shut up.}** "_ I pouted angrily.

He laughs softly as he pulls me back to his lips, kissing me once again. "I love you so much. Did you know that?"

"You might have mentioned it a couple of times." I take a deep breath and hope these words won't be my future regret, though I would say in my native language, just to play him. _"Judo sarang haeyo."_

His eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "What does that mean?"

I smiled amusingly as I looked at him. "It means… _'I love you, too.'_ "

He smiles widely. "And there's the reply I've been waiting for."

"It was going to come out eventually. I just needed to give it some thought first."

Overhead, the airport gives a ten-minute warning for Tom's flight. _Naneun geudeul-i geu il-eulhaneunjijocha mollassda. **{I didn't even know they do that.}** Naega eolyeoss-eul ttae ulineun yeogie uliui eongdeong-ileul seodulleoyahaessda; **{We had to rush our asses here when I was little;}** sib-bun gyeong-goleul jeojihasibsio **{screw the ten minute warnings.}**_

"Okay, it's time for me to go."

The strength I had in me vanishes in half a second. Tears spill from my eyes and stream down my cheeks. "Okay." I say. My voice a whisper but my lips still smiling.

"No, don't cry. Please. I'm coming back." He reaches for my face, and I stop them quickly.

"Don't worry about me. I will be fine. Like you said. I hold up my hand with the new ring on it. "You're coming back, aren't you?"

He smiles. "Of course." He slings his beige computer bag over his shoulder grabs the handle of his suitcase, and gazes at me one last- no, not last. Never last. One _more_ time. "I paid the limo driver in advance to take you whatever you want."

I give him a weak-goodbye smile. "I love you."

His apologetic eyes are pink. _He's actually ready to cry?_ _"Judo sarang haeyo. **{I love you too.}** " _I didn't give him time to speak for complimenting his perfect pronunciation in Korean as he turns around and heads for the security area.

I watch him as he goes through the metal detector. I'd go with him to the gate, but there have been so many bomb threats that I was lucky they allowed me to be at the last security station. When he looks at me, I wave one more good-bye, and he's gone. He going home, and I have to get home too.

I leave the airport and head to the limo waiting for me in front of the door. I open the door, slide in, and the door shut. I watch the airport entrance shrink as the driver pulls away from the curb and heads down the exit.

"Where to?" he says with the voice of a professional.

"Um, Stamford for now. I'll give you a specific destination when we get there."

We head down to the highway to Connecticut, my heart shattered and whole at the same time. _Geuneun gassda. Geuneun jeongmallo sala jyeoss-eoyo. **{He's gone. He's really gone.}** O, Haneunim, naneun ulji anh-ass eumyeon johgessda. Naneun kkeumjjighan gibun-ideul geos-ida. Hanbeon deo jeonhwahaeya gess-eo **{Oh God, I hope he didn't cry. I'll feel terrible. Maybe I should call him one more time…}** Ani-yo, geugeon maldo andwae. Bang-geum tteonass-eo. Gihoega ol ttae naleul buleu gess-eo… **{No, that's ridiculous. I just left. He'll call me when he gets the chance…}** Haneunim, naneun oneul ulgi wihae gal geos-ibnida. **{God, I'm going to cry for today.}**_ I look at the driver. "If you want, you can play some music. You can pick a station, I'm going to get some rest for a while." I used to visit the guy a lot when I was thirteen. I know he'll get me to Stamford, alright. If only I could remember his name…

"Alright." He says. I'll be glad to wake you up when we arrive."

"Dude, we knew each other for like, two years. Drop the high-class accent, please." I laugh softly.

He laughs as well. "Alright, baby girl. How'd you figure it out? You ain't seen me since you were, what, twelve?"

"Thirteen, and you still drown yourself in Axe cologne. I could smell you from inside the airport."

He glances at me in the rear view mirror. "Get some sleep. I'll let you know when we're in Stamford."

"Thank you." I lay down, move my bag underneath my head, and find a comfortable spot on it. Finally, I close my eyes and wait for sleep to take me away where I can get my mind off of Tom.

~o~

I start resurface as I felt someone shaking my shoulder. I move my neck and open my eyes. I rub the darkness out of them, and I see the driver trying to get my attention. "Are we here?" I ask.

"Yeah. Just got off exit nine. Where you wanna go from here, baby girl?"

I push _myself_ upright and look out the window, I recognize the location immediately. I know exactly where I want to go. "Take me to 105 Quintard Avenue."

"Okay. Hey, I know your whole situation with money and all, so you mind if I buy us some McDonald's? It's just up there."

"Hey, knock yourself out. Let me get a McChicken, a small fries, and a small strawberry milkshake."

"Got it."

After we get our food, he drives out of the parking. He races for the green light and makes it just in time. "I hope you don't mind me taking my time. Your boyfriend gave me a hell of a lot of money for just one day."

"Yeah. I don't doubt that. Take your time."

I watch the apartments and restaurants pass by us, and, on the way, I recognize a few faces. Old family friends still oblivious to the fact that I never really disappeared. They walk down the sidewalk in the darkening evening. When I see how hard they are to see, I realize the moon is already out, along with a few of its stars.

About five minutes later, we're outside the house with the address I gave him. I move to the other side to see it better. There it is, standing tall and proud in its blue-and-maroon glory. Seeing the cars in the driveway sends my heart down to my feet, making them ten pounds heavier. My throat tightens, and any sleep I had in me is replaced by fear and anxiousness.

I take a very deep breath and pull the door handle, pushing the door open. I look at the driver.

"I'll help you get your things." He says. He pops the trunk and gets out of the car.

We get every trash bag out of the car until its back to its previous condition. "Thank you." I say to him.

"No problem. If you left anything, I'll bring it straight here. Other than that, I'll see you again someday."

I smile and nod a quick thank-you.

He closes the trunk, gets into the driver's seat, and drives away. Hopefully I _will_ end up seeing him again.

I clutch every single trash bag in my fists. I carry them to the door of the house. I stop a few feet from it, unsure of what I'm doing. I stare at the doorbell. _Naneun mueos-eulhago issneunga? Naega wae ileoneungeoya? Igeos-eun maeu eoli seogda. naega gaya… **{What am I doing? Why am I doing this? This is so stupid. I should go** … **}** Ani-yo. Naneun iss-eoyahanda. Naneun igeos-eul hal su-issda. **{No. I should stay. I can do this.}**_

I move closer to the door and pull open the outside door. My hands insane trembling, I raise a finger to the doorbell. I barely touch it, thinking about every regret I might die with for doing this. Before I give it anymore thought, I press the button and listen for the bell inside the house. I hold my breath, waiting for someone to answer at any moment.

 _Smile… For them… For you._ I think in Tom's voice. I imagine him standing with me as I go through with this.

At last, the door opens, and my heart explodes into a billion pieces.

 _'Eomma… Appa…'_

 **.**

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 **.**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


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